International friendly: find out why both teams can score in England vs Ivory Coast

England seek second consecutive Wembley win

With the start of the World Cup less than eight months away, Gareth Southgate has plenty to think about. England will head to Qatar among the favourites to triumph thanks to their steady progress in recent years, and it will be interesting to see how the players handle the pressure of expectation.

England showed plenty of character on Saturday, coming from behind to beat Switzerland 2-1 at Wembley. Southgate used the friendly to take a look at non-established internationals like Conor Gallagher, Marc Guehi, Kyle Walker-Peters and Ben White, each of whom was named in the starting XI. There was a blend of youth and experience, with Jordan Pickford, Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane also featuring from the first whistle.

Southgate will seek a similar balance on Tuesday, although we can expect some of those who were on the bench at the weekend to be in the XI this time around. The performance is arguably more important than the result in international friendlies, but Southgate would be disappointed if his team did not emerge triumphant here.

Ivory Coast can find the back of the net

Smarkets traders certainly fancy England’s chances, which they rate at 69%. In a way, Ivory Coast would rather not be here. There are World Cup qualification playoffs taking place in Africa right now, but the Elephants did not make it that far after finishing behind Cameroon in the group stage.

Ivory Coast also suffered disappointment at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year. A return of seven points from a possible nine was sufficient for them to finish top of their group, but the two-time winners lost to Egypt on penalties in the round of 16.

Still, there is no shortage of talent within the Ivory Coast ranks: the current squad features the likes of Franck Kessie, Nicolas Pepe, Wilfried Zaha and Sebastien Haller. They are particularly dangerous going forward, which is why both teams to score would be a wise choice at 2.1.

England manager Gareth Southgate is set to make changes to his side for the friendly against Ivory Coast

Goals on the cards 

Ivory Coast’s quality in forward areas is one of the reasons why we could be treated to an entertaining affair on Tuesday night. Another is the fact there is little on the line. Friendlies are an opportunity for experimentation, and it is only natural that non-competitive fixtures tend to be higher-scoring. Southgate may have a tendency towards caution in tournaments, but his side score plenty of goals outside them. With all that in mind, over 2.5 goals looks like good value at 1.9.

Considering the game as a whole, England are likely to prove too strong for a top-heavy Ivory Coast team. Another pick to consider is England to find the net either side of half-time (just as they did against the Swiss), available at a generous price of 2.3.

Recommended bets

BTTS @ 2.1

Over 2.5 goals @ 1.9

England to score in both halves @ 2.3