England vs Czech Republic betting preview ahead of crucial Euro 2021 clash

England take on the Czech Republic at Wembley on Tuesday night with the two nations battling it out to secure top spot in Group D of the European Championships.

The Three Lions head into the game off the back of a hugely disappointing 0-0 draw against the old enemy Scotland on Friday night. Steve Clarke’s men battled bravely at Wembley and were arguably unfortunate not to claim all three points as Scotland had their fair share of chances.

However, the draw left Gareth Southgate with plenty of questions to answer as fans have been left underwhelmed by England’s performances in their first two group stage games. They did squeeze past Croatia 1-0 in their opening Euro 2021 game but they aren’t living up to their billing as one of the pre-tournament favourites, that’s for sure.

Despite their poor displays, England have still qualified for the last-16 with a game to spare and have things in their own hands heading into the final match. England sit second in Group D on four points with the Czech Republic top on goals difference, so victory tonight would guarantee England progress as group winners. A draw or defeat would leave the Three Lions second or possibly even third depending on the result in the Scotland-Croatia game.

Some fans argue that it would be better for England not to win tonight as finishing top means they’ll face France, Germany or Portugal in the first knockout round. Whereas finishing second or third would leave England facing an easier game in the last-16 stage.

Betting odds

However, Southgate insists he’ll go out to beat the Czech Republic and England are the 4/7 favourites with the bookmakers to win the game. The Czech’s are 13/2 to claim victory while the draw is available at 14/5.

There is sure to be huge interest in the betting market around this game as England fans are some of the keenest gamblers on the planet. Bookies, betting shops and casinos will all be vying for their business during the European championships. Fans don’t just bet on football, as they enjoy a variety of gambling activities and many use sites like 21 casino to play slot games, poker and roulette when they’re not watching the big game.

Those supporters who aren’t into international football would probably rather gamble their money at an online casino or play roulette rather than bet on England as the Three Lions can be inconsistent at times. However, many tipsters see this game against the Czech Republic as a good way to make some money.

England have underperformed in the Euro’s so far and they’d usually be much greater favourites in this game, so some professional gamblers smell an opportunity to cash in. England to win 2-1 is available at odds of 7/1 and that’s looks very tempting. It’s only a matter of time before England turn it on and they should still have too much for the Czech’s at Wembley.

Harry Kane has also been heavily criticised for his performances so far but let’s not forget that the Tottenham hitman is still one of the best strikers on the planet. Southgate has confirmed his skipper will keep his place up front tonight and Kane looks decent value to open the scoring at odds of 11/4. If we back Kane to score first in a 2-1 England win then we can get huge odds of 33/1.

Team news

Southgate is set to make some changes as Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell will miss the game after being forced to isolate having come into close contact with Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour – who tested positive yesterday.

Jack Grealish is expected to handed his first start in the Euro’s having come off the bench in the first two games while Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka is also being tipped to start.

Luke Shaw and Kyle Walker should start in the full-back positions while Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire is set to make his first appearance as he looks to build-up his fitness following an ankle injury.

Jordan Henderson will also hope to feature at some point but the Liverpool captain may have to settle for a place on the bench once again.

Prediction: England 2-1 Czech Republic