England vs Bosnia-Herzegovina Prediction: Three Lions to tire out visitors

England begin preparations for the upcoming European Championships with an international friendly against Bosnia-Herzegovina at St James' Park on Monday (19:45, Channel 4).

Read below for my England vs Bosnia-Herzegovina prediction and all the latest team news heading into it.

Team News

Gareth Southgate named a 33-man provisional squad ahead of this summer's Euros, but several players are unavailable for Monday's match including newly-crowned Champions League winner Jude Bellingham, who will be given time off after his weekend exertions.

Manchester United defenders Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw are still racing to be fit for the Euros and won't be able to prove their fitness for this friendly at least, while Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has picked up a knock and won't be considered to play at his home stadium.

Kobbie Mainoo, Kyle Walker and Phil Foden, all of whom featured in the FA Cup final on May 26, have yet to link up with the squad.

Jarrad Branthwaite, Jarell Quansah, Adam Wharton and Curtis Jones will all be looking to make their England debuts.

Bosnia-Herzegovina have ex-Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko still in their ranks, but former Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac has been ruled out through injury, while Eintracht Braunschweig's Ermin Bicakcic has an ankle issue and is expected to miss out.

England vs Bosnia-Herzegovina Odds

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England are 1/7 to triumph on Monday, giving them an implied win probability of 87.5%, while Bosnia-Herzegovina can be backed at 16/1 (5.9%) to take the victory, and the draw at 13/2.

Both teams to score is available at 5/4 and over 2.5 goals at 4/9.

England quartet Harry Kane (4/7), Ivan Toney (8/11), Ollie Watkins (4/5) and Jarrod Bowen (5/4) head the anytime scorer market, with Dzeko lowest priced for Bosnia-Herzegovina at 4/1.

Under 2.5 total goals @ 13/8

Four goals were shared between England and Belgium in the Three Lions' last international match on March 26, but their previous three games all went under 2.5 goals. The first of those was a 2-0 victory over European minnows Malta before a 1-1 draw with North Macedonia and a 1-0 defeat to Brazil.

By contrast, Bosnia-Herzegovina's last four matches have all seen at least three goals scored, though their two previous games were a 2-0 victory over Liechtenstein and a 1-0 loss to Iceland. Their last six international friendlies, though, dating back to a goalless draw with Montenegro in June 2021, have all seen two goals or fewer.

There is a clear gulf in quality between the two squads, but it's the first game back for these players after a gruelling season, and neither side is likely to be going full pelt on Monday.

Bosnia-Herzegovina will look to contain the England attack and avoid a heavy defeat like the ones they suffered recently against Portugal (0-5) and Luxembourg (1-4), while the focus for Southgate and his team will be to try out some new combinations and get game time into players that have lacked it in recent months.

As a result, there may be a lack of goalmouth action at St James' Park.

Half-time/full-time - Draw/England @ 3/1

As previously alluded to, events may take a while to get going on Monday as players look to feel their way back into the action. England will likely adopt a patient approach, playing the ball around and looking to tire out the opposition, while Bosnia-Herzegovina will sit in and try to soak up the pressure, looking to counter only when necessary.

There is likely to be a lack of fluidity to the Three Lions side with several regulars ruled out including Maguire, Shaw and Bellingham, with question marks also over the likes of Kane and Foden.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see the sides head into the interval goalless, with England stepping things up a notch or two in the second half as they look to take advantage of some tiring legs.

Ultimately, I expect the favourites to pick up a morale-boosting victory - but don't expect fireworks.

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