England vs Latvia Betting Preview

It’s time to officially kickstart the road to North America, and to be more specific, the road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

With 48 countries being set to qualify and compete in the tournament, there’s never been a greater opportunity for different nations to rise up and shock the world. Of course, it all starts in qualifying, with the European path getting underway during the current international break.

Today, we’ll be taking a look at what promises to be a David vs Goliath clash as Latvia attempts to spring one of the biggest upsets in recent memory when they collide with England. These two teams will have very different ambitions for the months and even years ahead but when the game kicks off on Monday night, they’ll begin as equals.

England are coming off the back of a Euro 2024 campaign in which they were beaten in the final by Spain, marking their second consecutive defeat in the final after their previous loss at the hands of Italy in 2021. Alas, while there’s some obvious disappointment to be felt, the introduction of Thomas Tuchel into the mix has injected a real sense of belief about what could be next.

On the flip side, you’ve got Latvia. This is a country that appeared at Euro 2004, registering a famous draw against giants Germany. Outside of that, however, there hasn’t been a whole lot to get excited about. They’re a long way from where they want to be, and given how poorly their latest Nations League run went, they won’t be coming into this game with a great deal of confidence.

With that being said, it’s time to break down how we think this one is going to play out.

Regardless of whether you want to bet on a winner in this game or just claim a LevelUp Casino Free Bonus, one thing is clear for all to see: England are the runaway favourites here. They should be dispatching of a team like Latvia with relative ease and if they don’t, there are going to be some early questions for Tuchel to answer.

The squad selection alone was enough to raise a few eyebrows but in the wake of some recent interviews, the former Chelsea boss seems to want to reignite a flame that’s been missing from the Three Lions for a good few years now.

Yes, they’ve had some success on the pitch, but he’s noted that they’ve been more afraid to lose than determined to win. He wants England to be feared as one of the best sides in international football, as opposed to them being a perennial failure.

Hope is a dangerous thing in the beautiful game but for Latvia, they’ll want to approach this game with a “what’s the worst that could happen?” mentality. If they can keep it tight at the back and defend for their lives in the first 15-20 minutes, they’ll start to build some confidence.

In reality, though, we know the most probable outcome, and that’s exactly what we’re backing to happen.

Official prediction: England 3-0 Latvia