England’s World Cup adventure begins in earnest on Saturday – not against Croatia, but against New Zealand in the first of two warm-up friendlies before the competition.
Manager Thomas Tuchel will be without four Arsenal players this weekend. Saka, Rice, Eze and Maduke have been given additional time off following their appearances in last week’s Champions League final and will not join the squad until next week.
Read more: Follow our England vs New Zealand blog for the latest updates on tonight’s pre-World Cup friendly.
Everyone has an opinion on how it will turn out. We fed our predicted lineups into Machine Football’s AI-powered model and let the supercomputer do the talking. Here’s what came back: Four legs, one big price, all with real data and backed by Betfair odds.
England are scheduled to play New Zealand in a World Cup warm-up match (Image: Machine Football)
Leg 1 — England win & over 2.5 goals (1/2)
Look, this is England versus the 97th ranked team in the world. Bellingham will lead the attack. This model ranks in the top 5% of dribblers of all players in world football and is ranked number 1 in La Liga in its prototype. Around him, Gordon, who had just signed with Barcelona, arrived in Tampa with something to prove before his adventure at Camp Nou begins. With his future at the club still uncertain, Rashford has further reason to put on a show. England come back to win comfortably and pick up a few points along the way.
Leg 2 — Harry Kane scores anytime (4/9)
He scores against everyone. He is England’s captain and this will likely be his last World Cup, but he is in prime form this season in the Bundesliga, averaging 2.15 shots on target per game. If he starts, New Zealand’s defense will be unable to stop him. It’s very simple.
Leg 3 — England 6+ Corner (1/2)
Here’s something you may have never thought of. Did you know Rashford takes Barcelona’s corner kick? Thanks to a supercomputer, he has averaged 4.31 points per game in La Liga this season. Rashford will be on the left corner flag all night, with New Zealand sitting deep and England spending most of the night in their own half. England’s six corners look like strong picks.
Opponents England are likely to face in pre-World Cup friendlies (Image: Machine Football)
Leg 4 — Marko Stamenic scheduled to book (13/5)
The New Zealand central midfielder plays his club football for Swansea, but has been a real booking nightmare this season. 12 yellow cards in 36 matches in the Championship. 1 out of 3 games. His job on Saturday will be to try to stop Bellingham and Mainoo, two of the most relentless pressing players in world football, while England build a ring around him. The bookie apparently hasn’t seen his disciplinary record. Supercomputers have that.
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Bet Builder Total Price: 10/1
All four legs are backed by Machine Football’s 2025/26 data. Stack them around 10/1 on Betfair’s Bet Builder. Always check live prices at Betfair Sportsbook before placing your order.
18+ | UK only | begambleaware.org. Prices are approximate and subject to change.
Expected starting lineup
England (4-2-3-1): Pickford, Librament, Stones, Guehi, O’Reilly, Mainu, Henderson, Rashford, Bellingham, Gordon, Kane.
New Zealand (4-3-3): Crocombe. Cacace, Vauxhall, Thurman, Bindon. Bell, Stamenik, Sarpreet. Eli Just,
