Andy Schooler previews Tuesday’s matches at the World Cup 2026, including England’s clash with Ghana.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Tuesday Preview, June 23rd
Great in attack, less so in defence. That’s a quick summary of England’s opening win over Croatia, one which sets them up nicely in this group. Victory over Ghana would put them into the last 32 – and give boss Thomas Tuchel the chance to rest players in the final group game against Panama. He will also know that winning the pool would be big – if they don’t, a last-16 clash with Spain looks likely.
World Cup 2026: England v Ghana (BBC, 9pm)
Ghana’s first game didn’t suggest they were ready to throw a spanner in the works. Panama were the better side in the first half of that game but, after creating more chances as the match wore on, the Africans were rewarded with an injury-time winner. Caleb Yirenki was something of an eyecatcher in that one, not just scoring the goal but also putting in a busy shift in midfield. He spoke afterwards about the team’s aim being to win the ball in the middle of the park and get it wide for balls into the box.
Ghana made 17 tackles in that game and I’d expect them to try to impose themselves physically on England in the midfield where Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson could be in for a battle. In such games, I’m drawn towards Bellingham – he doesn’t shirk such a challenge but also can be a bit over-exuberant at times.
The Real Madrid man has now been booked in eight of his last 21 international starts and, with that in mind, he should be considered for a card. Bellingham led the way for England on the tackles count against Croatia, winning three, and while he kept himself clean on the fouls front, that is a rarity and something that will likely change here. Referee Said Martinez, of Honduras, is pretty consistent with his card counts – his last eight senior international have all seen at least three cards, with five of them landing the over 4.5 bet.
World Cup 2026: Portugal v Uzbekistan (ITV, 6pm)
It’s hard to trust Portugal at short prices, even if we do know they have the players capable of tearing into weaker opponents. They put 14 past Armenia in two qualifiers and while the Uzbeks are better than that, they looked vulnerable against Colombia, while it’s not that long since Portgual took Poland apart, beating them 5-1.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence up front continues to hold Portugal back, it would appear, although perhaps facing this defence will kick him back into goalscoring form. Portugal were out-shot by DR Congo in their first game of the tournament and if Uzbekistan are able to get a foothold in the game, then it might pay to side with right-back Bekhruz Karimov. He committed three fouls against Colombia but, more eyecatching were his two shots from the edge of the box, where he was often found lurking ready to pick up the second ball from set-pieces.
He’s 1.86 for at least one in this contest but of course, a blanket defence approach from Fabio Cannavaro’s men here could scupper that. For those looking at backing Portugal, a win for Roberto Martinez’s men, coupled with under 3.5 goals, pays 1.75 which might be of interest. All three of Portugal’s warm-up wins landed this bet, while Uzbekistan have taken on a safety-first approach under Cannavaro, as you might expect. That said, it didn’t serve them that well against Colombia.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Croatia v Panama
Group L, Toronto (BBC, 12am Wed)
I didn’t have high expectations for Panama at the start of the tournament but they certainly exceeded them against Ghana. They were unfortunate to lose late on, having been the better side for large parts of the match. One player who really caught the eye was Cristian Martinez, who produced a livewire display on the right-hand side of their attack.
He doesn’t always play in that position which probably explains why he can be backed at odds-against for a shot in this one. I think that’s a cracking price, especially if he stays in that position – admittedly, there is talk of Ismael Diaz coming into the starting XI which could mean Martinez is pushed back into a central-midfield role.
That would not be a disaster though. He’s played there plenty of times before and has landed the 1+ shot bet in seven of his last 10 competitive appearances for his country. OK, many of those opponents weren’t as strong as Croatia, although the 2018 finalists didn’t look particularly secure against England and if Panama are prepared to have a go – and their performance against Ghana suggests they will be – they should manage to chalk up a few shots at least.
Overall, I think this should be a fairly open game – both sides need a win after opening defeats. Panama will surely feel this is a more likely source of points than England on Saturday. They certainly showed enough against Ghana to suggest they can trouble Croatia and show both teams to score looks attractive as the outside of the two options. Eight of Panama’s last 11 have seen both teams score, while six of Croatia’s last seven have too. Those include matches with Faroe Islands, Montenegro and Slovenia.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Colombia v DR Congo
Group K, Guadalajara (ITV, 3am Wed)
I remain keen on James Rodriguez assists despite him failing to deliver one as Colombia beat Uzbekistan 3-1 in their opener. However, a price of 3.13 is too short for me here against a better team. There could also be an interesting battle down the Colombia left where Luis Diaz was impressive against the Uzbeks, who fouled him five times.
Congo right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka is an excellent defender though and that should be a great battle to watch – the West Ham man could well land the 3+ tackles bet at 2.35. However, the way I’m going here is a priced-based play on the Africans, who I don’t think should be as big at 6.4. They out-shot Portugal the other day and kept the UEFA Nations League winners pretty quiet, restricting them to just one shot on target.They have plenty of current or former Premier League players in their ranks with Yoane Wissa a player I’ve always felt is under-rated. He scored the other day.
My approach will be to back them via the double-chance market, thus getting the draw onside too. I think a point apiece may well suit everyone here with Congo knowing they still have Uzbekistan to play, while a draw would take Colombia to four points which would almost certainly book their last-32 spot before their meeting with the Portuguese. I’m not convinced the gap between the teams here is as big as the market suggests so I’ll back this option at 2.3.
World Cup 2026: Best Bets, Tuesday June 23
Bellingham to be carded @ 3.75 with kwiff
Karimov over 0.5 shots @ 1.86 with kwiff
Martinez over 0.5 shots @ 2.15 with kwiff
BTTS in CRO v PAN @ 1.88 with kwiff
Draw/DR Congo double chance @ 2.3 with kwiff
Please note that the information provided in this FIFA World Cup 2026, June 23rd article is for entertainment purposes only. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided. Any action you take upon the information on this article is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any losses and damages in connection with the use of our article. We do not encourage gambling and remind you to gamble responsibly.
18+ | BeGambleAware.org
