England vs New Zealand Prediction: Three Lions to hammer NZ

With their World Cup opener against Croatia edging closer, England have two friendlies to navigate. First up, they face New Zealand in Miami (4pm local, 9pm BST, ITV 1), looking to get used to the conditions in the USA.

Below you can find my England vs New Zealand predictions, as Thomas Tuchel looks to finalise his plans for a tilt at World Cup glory.

Team News

Tuchel is likely to use this game as a chance to take a look at his fringe players, before going super strong for the Costa Rica test on Wednesday. John Stones is in desperate need of game time so expect him to potentially play the majority of both games, while Djed Spence could feature at left-back.

Kobbie Mainoo could be given the nod in the centre of the park given we expect Declan Rice and Elliott Anderson to start vs Croatia, while handing Rice and clubmate Bukayo Saka a rest may not be a silly decision after his Champions League efforts. 

Jude Bellingham or Morgan Rogers is a big debate, but I’m leaning towards Bellingham Harry Kane starting this game to work on their partnership. Anthony Gordon may start ahead of Marcus Rashford on the left wing. 

New Zealand were hammered 4-0 by Haiti in their last friendly and this is their final friendly, so manager Darren Bazeley is likely to make only a couple of changes. Kosta Barbarouses may replace Chris Wood at the top end of the pitch to keep him fresh while Alex Rufer may feature in midfield. 

Football Odds

England vs New Zealand Odds

England are priced at 1/8 to win this friendly, with New Zealand priced at 16/1 for the victory. A draw is 8/1, over 2.5 goals is 8/15 and BTTS is 2/1. 

Harry Kane is the favourite to open the scoring at 15/8, Ollie Watkins is 11/5 and Ivan Toney is 12/5. 

England to win -2 handicap @ 21/20

This should be a walk in the park for England. NZ were hammered by Haiti and England, even with rotation, should hammer this level of opposition. I’ve got a feeling that New Zealand might just be the worst performers at the World Cup, especially given the group they are in, so England should pin them in.

The conditions in Miami will be tough and that is the reason why I’m not going any further than the -2 handicap, but a three-goal win should be achievable. Kane will want more goals, while players will be striving to impress as they try and earn a spot in the XI vs Croatia.

Scorecast - Kane to score first, England to win 4-0 @ 16/1

I think England should run away with this friendly at a canter, so let’s back a correct scorecast as we hunt for value. A 4-0 win would be comfortable and Tuchel is set to start with a few big guns, with plenty of ammunition on the bench. I wouldn’t be surprised if all the stars get at least 45 minutes of action, and the Three Lions need to keep up the intensity in the Miami heat. 

Obviously backing Kane to score first won’t win any prizes, but it is the most likely outcome if he is on the teamsheet. This isn’t a bad price at all for a big England win.