Saturday sees the World Cup group stage come to an end, including England v Panama as Three Three Lions bid to claim top spot in Group L. Andy Schooler previews all six matches – and has a tip at 30.0 for you…
England v Panama Huge Preview, June 28th 2026
Have Ghana shown other teams the template of how to play against England? The Three Lions really struggled to create clear-cut chances against the Africans, who were very content to sit deep and frustrate. And they certainly did that.
In the second half, they actually fashioned a couple of good chances on the break and I, for one, am still wondering how they were awarded a penalty for what looked to be a foul by Ezri Konsa. Perhaps Panama will look to replicate, although they’ve been prepared to go toe-to-toe with their opponents so far – they were very much in both games but have lost 1-0 to both Ghana and Croatia.
England v Panama Preview (ITV, 10pm)
One suspects Thomas Tuchel has been working hard on a plan to overcome England’s creative issues against the low block and team changes may well be forthcoming, especially given Declan Rice and Reece James have both been nursing knocks and will be needed in the knockout stage. England, technically, haven’t yet qualified. A draw here would guarantee it but they will want the win – preferably by a few goals – in order to nail down top spot in the group.
Panama are already eliminated so you can certainly envisage a scenario where their heads go down if England do get ahead early, as they did when these sides met at the 2018 World Cup. England went on to win 6-1. If you fancy a repeat, Bukayo Saka may appeal in the anytime scorer market at 2.55.
He’s got that ability to run at defenders which can create opportunities, while he’s terrific at cutting in off the right and unleashing a shot – he managed one such effort as a sub against Ghana and this looks the perfect chance for him to get a go from the start. In contrast, if you feel another struggle is on the cards, 2.5 about under 2.5 goals could appeal. Personally, I feel there are better bets to be had elsewhere.
World Cup 2026: Croatia v Ghana (ITV, 10pm)
Given results in other groups in recent days, we know a draw here will see both teams progress so I’m a little surprised to see that on offer at 3.12. I can certainly see that being backed in prior to kick-off. Ghana showed how strong they can be defensively so if they set out to secure the draw, will Croatia really be going all-out for the win which would lift them up to second place, maybe even top.
I’m unconvinced and, any way, they’ve not been great thus far, struggling to overcome Panama last time out. Against England, their goals had much to do with poor defending, while at the other end they could easily have conceded more than the four they did. Defeat for the Croatians would leave them right on the cutline for the last 32 so I think the way to go here is to back the result which would (largely) suit both parties and that’s the draw.
WC 2026: Colombia v Portugal (BBC, 12.30am)
This game is effectively a shoot-out for top spot in the group – Portugal need a win, Colombia only a draw. With Portugal looking virtually certain to finish in the top two – it would need a big goal-difference swing between them and DR Congo for them to miss out – they should have no qualms in really pushing for that victory.
However, Colombia don’t look a side ready to just defend – their strength is at the other end of the field where Luis Diaz and James Rodriguez can cause damage. While approaches will likely change in-play depending on the scoreline at the time, this could be an open game and, if so, it will be interesting to see how both defences cope as neither has been thoroughly tested so far. Two Colombians appeal at the prices.
First, I’m prepared to give Rodriguez another go in the assists market now that his price has ballooned. He’s now at 6.13 for an assist, a big price given he’s had 17 in his last 31 starts for his country. He assisted against both Brazil and Argentina in qualifying, so this is no flat-track bully.
The other player who I’ve long liked for his performances in the Premier League is Daniel Munoz. He’s scored in both games so far and his runs from wing-back get him into some cracking shooting positions. Also a threat from set-plays, Munoz is 13.0 to score again here but I’m going to delve into the shot-on-target market instead where he’s a tempting 4.8.
WC 2026: DR Congo v Uzbekistan (BBC, 12.30am)
Good old German referee Felix Zwayer helped us land a winner last week during his first match of the tournament and I’m happy to rinse and repeat here. He’s long been one of the best officials in the UEFA Champions League for cards and after his seven-card performance in Australia v USA, he’s now gone over the 35.5 booking points line in 12 of his last 14 internationals. They include all four at Euro 2024.
For the uninitiated, it’s 10 points for a yellow card and 25 for a red. Here, he takes charge of a game that is must-win for both teams – neither can qualify with a draw, so it should have a competitive nature to it. While Congo are favourites, they are not red-hot with a price of 1.64 in the win market.
There’s also that element I mentioned in Friday’s preview about the forthcoming bookings amnesty – players are given a clean disciplinary slate after the group stage so anyone not yet carded will know a booking in this one will basically mean nothing. Over 35.5 booking points at 1.98 looks very good to me.
WC 2026: Algeria v Austria (BBC, 3am)
Showing my age here but my first World Cup was 1982 when, famously, Germany and Austria played out a draw which suited both sides and eliminated Algeria. It was the match which led to the final round of group games being played concurrently; at Spain 82 they were played consecutively.
Ironically, these two now get the chance to ‘engineer’ a draw which would basically take both into the last 32. At time of writing, there’s actually another small element in play. Algeria also need to keep their card count low – that would ensure they beat Paraguay in the ‘third place’ tie-break and, therefore, seal a place in the knockout stages.
We saw on Thursday how Australia and Paraguay were more than happy to play out a 0-0 draw which suited both teams and something similar here would be no surprise – the draw is already at 2.15. Given the circumstances, the bet I like is under 2.5 goals and under 2.5 cards. The goals side of things gets both 0-0 and 1-1 onside (not to mention the 1-0 wins), while Algeria not wanting this to turn into a card fest should help secure a low card count.
WC 2026: Jordan v Argentina (BBC, 3am)
Dead rubber alert – whatever the result here, Jordan are going home, while Argentina are progressing as group winners. With Argentina being an aging side, boss Lionel Scaloni will surely make changes here, with most attention falling on whether Lionel Messi starts or not.
Given he was only recently out with a muscle strain, you’d imagine the best course of action would be to rest him, although the man himself may well be thinking this is a great opportunity to move a step closer to the Golden Boot. He’s been excellent so far, scoring five goals. Messi playing would help the bet I’m going to put up but it’s far from essential that he does. Given Argentina should like score a few goals here no matter who starts, Nicolas Gonzalez looks a big price in the assists market.
Having come on as sub in both games so far, the Juventus man, who spent last season on loan at Atletico Madrid, could well be in line for a start on the left-hand side and that would make the 6.08 price a great bet. Gonzalez has had five assists in his last 10 games for Argentina. With most of those being substitute appearances, he’s averaging one every 102 minutes in that period. With such strong stats, ‘laddering’ this bet and backing him for 2+ assists also appeals.
World Cup 2026: Best Bets, Saturday June 27
Draw in CRO v GHA @ 3.12 with kwiff
Rodriguez 1+ assist @ 6.13 with kwiff
Munoz 1+ shot on target @ 4.8 with kwiff
Over 35.5 booking points in DRC v UZB @ 1.98 with kwiff
Under 2.5 goals & under 2.5 cards in ALG v AUT @ 2.0 with kwiff
Gonzalez 1+ assist @ 6.08 with kwiff
Gonzalez 2+ assists @ 30.0 with kwiff
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