England face perhaps their biggest threat in Group B on Friday 25th November when they take on the USA at Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar.

The will be the USA’s 11th World Cup appearance since first qualifying in 1930 when they reached the semi-finals. They endured a good run throughout the 90’s and onwards, qualifying for seven consecutive World Cup tournaments with their last being in 2014 which was held in Brazil after failing to make it to Russia 2018.

The USA came third in the CONCACAF third round of qualification, finishing level on points with Costa Rica but with a superior goal difference. They won 50% of their matches during the qualification period and lost three of their 14 played.

Being 100/1 to win the World Cup, the USA are very unlikely to challenge for the trophy. However, they definitely do have the players to cause teams problems and Southgate will know this.

Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Weston McKenny (Juventus ), Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund) and Sergino Dest (Barcelona) are just a few notable players in their squad who all have experience on the big stage and will be relishing the chance to impress at the highest level.

These two sides met in the first round of the 2010 World Cup in Brazil when England were held to a goalless draw. They ended up finishing second in the group behind the USA on goal difference which meant that the Three Lions were forced to face long-standing rivals Germany in the Round of 16 rather than Ghana who the USA were paired with. That shows how important finishing top of the group often is in these competitions and Southgate will surely remind his squad of that fact heading into this crucial game.

Despite the USA being team that has the potential to produce some upsets, I really fancy England to do well this year based on how Southgate has moulded them over the past few years. Third in the 2018 World Cup and second at the Euro’s shows that they’re capable of progressing in big competitions such as this one and this year should be no different for them.

England are often set up not to lose games but with the players they have at their disposal now, they’re also able to score goals and win matches with confidence.

If they’re playing anywhere near their best, England should take away three points from this game but as I think they’ll show the USA some respect, I don’t think that they’ll run away with it.

I’m expecting a relatively low-scoring game with England having the vast majority of possession and waiting for their chance to take the lead. When & if they do so, they should have the quality to hold onto that lead and see the game out as winners.

For me, a 1-0 or 2-0 score is more than likely but I’m not expecting end-to-end action in this match.

England to win at 7/10 is probably good enough for a single and I’m not confident enough to back England with a handicap.

I’ll also be willing to take a chance on Draw/England in the HT/FT market as I think this could be a cagey affair with England ultimately finding the winning goal in the second half.

England vs USA team news and line ups will be published here once full World Cup squads have been announced.