“Twelve years have passed since these two nations last locked horns on the international stage, and although England were forced to settle for a score draw against the USA in their last meeting, Southgate and co head into Friday’s fixture in buoyant mood and as firm favourites to claim maximum points.
While there have already been a couple shock results at this year’s tournament in Qatar, the Three Lions will be confident of success in Al Khor and should have few problems in securing a routine victory over their American counterparts.” – (England 3-0 USA) – SportsMole
“The Americans will prove a tougher test than Iran four days’ earlier and Southgate will make sure England do not get ahead of themselves after scoring six for just the second ever time at a World Cup.
“Iran proved England can be got at, and USA certainly did as much against Wales, but the Three Lions’ extra quality should shine through.” – (England 3-1 USA) – ES
“England are flying after their rout of Iran in the opener and the United States, while lively against Wales, crumbled in the second half. Southgate’s side will have too much here and edge the match to move to six points.” – (England 2-1 United States) – The Independent
World Cup 2022: England vs USA – prediction, team news, lineups
England started their World Cup campaign in style – a 6-2 win over Iran, but boss Gareth Southgate was far from impressed that the Lions let two goals in, saying there were things they would need to work on ahead of the USA game.
England will be looking to win the game to secure the top spot in Group B on Friday night (19:00 kickoff) at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.
England are one of the favourites to win the World Cup, whilst the USA will be happy if they are able to make it to the Round of 16.
England got off to an incredible start, whilst the USA struggled in their first game against Wales but in the end managed a draw. Despite USA being 1-0 up, Wales came back into the game and dominated the whole second half – eventually winning a penalty and equalising the score line.
Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia in 2018 whilst the USA failed to qualify.
England’s disappointing run in the Nations League had many fans weary of how far they could really go in the World Cup. But their emphatic style in their opening game has fans’ expectations high.
Bukayo Saka scored on either side of strikes from Jude Bellingham and Raheem Sterling in a dominant first-half. Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish came on as substitutes and got their names on the scoresheet after the break.
Positives to take from first games
There were plenty of positives to take from the Iran game – especially considering there was nearly half an hour of stoppage time across the two halves. But the two goals England conceded left Southgate calling for his players to improve their focus.
England have won eight of their 11 meetings with the USA across all competitions – scoring 39 goals in the process.
The USA missed out on a place in the 2018 World Cup and started off their 2022 campaign strong. They dominated the first half of the match against Wales and deservedly took the lead.
Timothy Weah gave USA the lead just nine minutes before half-time but fell apart in the second half when Wales flipped the game on its head and dominated – eventually equalising.
USA coach Gregg Berhalter has been criticised by American fans for the USA’s 1-1 against Wales. He says his team “left everything out there” and remains hopeful of securing a place in the knockout rounds.
USA have managed to progress from the group stage at their two previous World Cups.
Qatar World Cup England vs USA – Team News
England’s captain Harry Kane is fit enough to start against USA, after fears of an ankle injury picked up in the Iran game. But following a scan on Wednesday, the captain returned to training with the first-team.
Southgate may announce the same starting lineup that began against Iran – with Harry Maguire, Keiran Trippier, John Stones and Luke Shaw starring in a back four.
But Kyle Walker – perhaps England’s best defender – has declared himself fit to feature against the USA and has been taking part in training sessions after recovering from groin surgery. Southgate may want Walker to get his feet on the ball before the next round in the World Cup.
James Maddison is yet to return to training with England due to a knee problem and he remains a doubt for the game. Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Mason Mount are all likely to start in midfield again.
USA Team News – British based players make up USA squad
Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah came off with respective groin and toe problems in the Wales game but the midfielders are expected to be in the starting XI alongside Tyler Adams.
Captain Adams is one of eight British-based players in the USA national squad.
The USA will likely have its back four formation – with Fulham FC players Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson, whilst Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner is expected to remain in goal.
Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic is expected to be in the front three with Timothy Weah and Joshua Sargent – although Giovanni Reyna will be hoping to force his way into the attacking three after watching from the benches during the Wales match.
Following a dazzling Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, the final tournament match schedule has been published on FIFA+.
Given the compact nature of Qatar, event organisers were able to assign, for the first time ever, group stage games to a stadium and kick-off time for each matchday after the final draw, optimising the match schedule for the benefit and comfort of spectators, teams, media and the global audience.
A total of 64 games will be played to decide the winners of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. See when and where the action will take place.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup begins on Nov. 20 in what will be the first winter edition in the history of the competition. The best players in the world will take center stage in Qatar as the action runs through the final on Dec. 18.
The cost might be of the ticket is an estimate for a group match ranging from $105 to $210, and the ticket for the final ranges from $455 to $1,100. All tickets are sold in Qatari riyal (QAR) to both residents of Qatar and internationals. Here are list of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Ticket Prices below with detailed price
The 2022 World Cup starts on November 20 in Qatar when temperatures generally start falling heading into winter. Early group games will likely be the hottest with highs of 26-28°C (78-82°F) possible
It was confirmed on Friday November 18 that a decision had been taken to ban the sale of beer at stadiums completely. Resultantly, only non-alcoholic drinks are available inside any of the eight stadiums at the World Cup
Qatar does not permit its people to drink alcohol in public or to be drunk in public and “drinking in a public place could result in a prison sentence of up to 6 months.” Some bars and hotels in Qatar are allowed to sell alcohol, but those establishments have obtained specific licenses to do so
