England take on Spain in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday and they will be looking to carry the momentum forward from their World Cup campaign this summer. England gripped the nation with their performances in Russia, and they gave their fans something to believe in and something to get excited about. The same cannot be said for Spain, who struggled in the group stages and then were knocked out in the first knockout round against the hosts. It was a poor display, but also a very turbulent World Cup for them, with a change in manager just days before kick off and the next 12 months are all about stability for the Spaniards.

The UEFA Nations League is a brand new tournament brought in by FIFA to try and eliminate the number of pointless friendlies that international teams play. Instead of those, during the Nations League, teams will play games against teams of a similar ability and perhaps even more importantly, there is something to play for in these games. Being in League A, these two know that if they top the group they will progress to the final next summer and be in with a chance of winning the innagural tournament. Topping the group also gives them the chance to book a place in the Euro 2020 qualifying round should they not qualify for the tournament through the qualifying groups.

Both teams will be looking to impress in their first game since the World Cup for various reasons, but if there is a little more pressure on one team then that would be England. They have set the bar in terms of expectations and they now have to follow up on that. England as a nation believed during the World Cup, the future looked very bright going forward, now they have to prove that it wasn’t a one off.

England’s World Cup of Hope

During the summer if there was one thing that stood out at the World Cup it was that England have promoted themselves to be considered as potential future winners. They went into the tournament and played without fear, they are a young group of players who all wanted to prove a point and they certainly did that. When you look at the experience the players have, both on the international stage and at domestic level, and you look at the ages of the players, it is easy to see why England fans are excited. England weren’t supposed to do well this summer, they were supposed to use the tournament to gain experience and something to build on with a view to the 2022 World Cup when they would be older and more experienced. However, as we know they did a lot more than that, and they have to go into the next couple of international tournaments, Euro 2020 and the World Cup 2022 as a team that is strongly fancied.

Perhaps the most exciting part about this England team is that they have shown huge promise at the most recent World Cup all over the field. Going into the tournament many people expected them to play like a one-man team, with Harry Kane grabbing at the headlines. Kane won the Golden Boot away as the tournament’s top goal scorer and he did get a lot of the headlines, but it wasn’t just him in the spotlight. The centre back partnership of Harry Maguire and John Stones also got a lot of deserved praise for their performances during the summer, so much so that Maguire was in high demand during the transfer window. Eventually he will get his move and Champions League football awaits him, which can only help England going forward. As impressive as these two were, in another two years at the 2020 European Championships and then in another two years at the 2022 World Cup, those two are going to be even better.

Someone who probably didn’t get the recognition he deserved for his performances was goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. England went into the World Cup not really knowing who would be their number one goalkeeper at the tournament, with Pickford eventually winning the battle. However, his performances at the World Cup have given him the number one shirt for the next decade if he continues his progression. His size will always go against him, but Pickford showed signs of being top class during the summer and he is another player who can contribute to this English team.

Perhaps the final person worth mentioning here is Gareth Southgate, a man who knows everything about the highs and lows of being involved with the England football team. Many people questioned his appointment before the World Cup, but I’d put money on every single fan backing him right now. He hasn’t done anything dramatic, he simply allows his youngsters to go out and play with freedom, while installing pride into them and making sure they know just how important playing for England is. Few past England managers have had the backing that Southgate has right now, and it would be no surprise to see him in charge for many years to come.

England vs Spain Betting Tips

I expect that there will be a lot of interest surrounding this game, much more than is normally the case and that is because these two teams have a lot to prove. Was the summer a fluke for England, or are they legitimate contenders for the next few years in all competitions? Can Spain bounce back and be stable for the next 12 months and show they are still a force to be reckoned with? Those won’t be answered over the 90 minutes here, but we will get an indication as to how both of these are doing after the World Cup.

There is a lot of belief and a lot to like about England right now and I am going to back them to take the win. They are priced up at a bigger price than Spain to win the game which is really surprising considering they are the home team, I expected to see England favourites. If the Three Lions go on to show the World Cup was no fluke, this price is going to look very silly after the game, and that is without factoring in the problems that Spain had this summer.

I am very surprised to see the price on offer for England, and that makes them even more tempting so without hesitation, they are the bet in this one and I think they are going to beat Spain on Saturday night.

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