Andy Schooler is back from his mid-tournament hydration break to preview Wednesday’s World Cup 2026 matches, including England v DR Congo.
World Cup 2026: Can Congo Tame The Three Lions in Atlanta?
If you are ready to back England here at 1.22 I’m not sure you’ve been paying attention. England have done what they needed to do – win their group – but the manner in which they’ve done it has been far from convincing. Most worrying has been how Ghana and Paraguay were allowed good chances on the break – often it just took a simply ball over the top to leave a one attacker v one defender situation.
World Cup 2026: England v DR Congo (BBC, 5pm)
England got extremely lucky with a penalty decision against Ghana, while poor finishing by a Panama side which failed to score in the tournament aided them last time out. They may not be so fortunate if the issue recurs in this contest – and there are reasons to suggest it might.
With Reece James still out and his unconvincing replacement Jarell Quansah having limped off at the weekend, Thomas Tuchel will now turn to either Djed Spence to plug the hole at right-back or move Ezri Konsa from his centre-back role, making way for John Stones to return. The latter would probably make more sense given Stones started the opening game of the tournament.
It’s an area Congo will doubtless look to exploit and Brian Cipenga looked a player capable of causing problems, producing a livewire performance in Congo’s 3-1 win over Uzbekistan, a result which sealed their place in the last 32. I’m keen to find an angle which could profit from England’s defensive deficiencies and Cipenga at 9.5 for a goal was certainly considered – he managed three efforts at goal in that game.
However, the biggest threat clearly comes from Yoane Wissa, who has scored three of his nation’s four goals at the tournament so far and is also on penalties. The Newcastle man is a player I’ve long admired for his efforts with Brentford and that Premier League experience will ensure he knows the strengths and weaknesses of his direct opponents here.
His pace is exactly the tool which could reap rewards if England repeat their mistakes of the past two games and backing him at 5.2 to score in this match looks worth a punt. One thing I do feel will work in England’s favour is the indoor stadium in Atlanta – I don’t think it’s any coincidence that their best performance so far came against Croatia under the roof in Dallas. Therefore I’m more inclined to get with a particular part of Congo’s game rather than the team as a whole.
Like I say, I’m not writing England off and for those seeking angles on the Three Lions, Bukayo Saka could be dangerous, if he starts on the right. His ability to cut in and let fly has already been shown with the Arsenal man having struck five shots in his 105 tournament minutes thus far. He’s at 3.05 for a goal here which has potential.
However, my best bet on the England side of the ball is for Elliot Anderson to have 2+ shots. The new Manchester City signing had four when Ghana sat deep against England and now has six for the tournament as a whole. In competitive games, the midfielder has landed the 2+ shots bet in three of his last five appearances, managing five against Latvia. This will be a harder assignment but he’s a player who is prepared to shoot from range and often gets into the box for set pieces. And if he doesn’t, he’s the man lurking on the edge of the penalty are ready to unleash an effort at goal.
World Cup 2026: Belgium v Senegal (ITV, 9pm)
Both of these sides hit five goals in their final group games to seal their spot in the knockout stage but how relevant that is now remains to be seen. Both opponents were weak – New Zealand and Iraq both failed to qualify for the last 32 – although clearly it could have had an effect on confidence.
Certainly Belgium needed it having previously struggled to break sides down but I wouldn’t be surprised for them to return to their toothless ways now they are up against a team who won’t give so much away. Senegal, in a tough group, had a good go in defeats to France and Norway and they should be able to cause the Belgians plenty of problems.
They scored some spectacular goals against the Iraqis and in Ismaila Sarr they have a player who is clearly in fine form right now. He landed the 3+ shots bet in every group match and that’s tempting here at 2.1. However, better value lies in backing Idrissa Gueye, who continues to be overpriced in the shot markets. Apologies if I sound like a stuck record but Gueye did deliver this column a winner in the group stage when he managed three shots in total.
He’s not the best shooter in the world in terms of accuracy but he’s not afraid to have a go and his shot output went up at Everton last season. In this match, look out for him driving forward into space and letting fly from range. And if he doesn’t, he may well be able to have a strike at goal from his position on the edge of the box at corners. 1.9 about over 0.5 shots looks worth taking.
World Cup 2026: USA v Bosnia-Herzegovina: San Francisco (1am)
USA lost to Turkey in a very open final group game but it should be remembered they were already assured of top spot and duly made a host of changes. The likes of Florian Balogun, Chris Richards and Tyler Adams will all return here but while the co-hosts are worthy favourites based on how they played in their wins over Paraguay and Australia, 1.3 does look pretty short.
Bosnia have been pretty well organised defensively and may prove difficult to break down. They’ve also shown enough in attack to suggest they are capable of threatening at the other end of the pitch. Both teams to score has landed in all three of their games so far, as well as two of the USA’s three and that has potential as the outsider of two options at 1.95.
Longer term, it’s nine of the USA’s last 11 games have seen both teams score, while they have kept a clean sheet just twice in 17. For Bosnia, 11 of their last 12 have landed the BTTS bet. Yes, this is a knockout stage match and the odds are always pushed higher with the theory being that keeping things tight will be the over-riding factor. However, old habits die hard while, at time of writing, three of the competition’s four KO matches had also seen BTTS land.
The other potential angle here is cards. Bosnia had seven in the group stage, USA five, although the line is set at 4.5 here which is probably about right with referee Raphael Claus not one of the South American officials who goes card crazy. In the player-card markets, Bosnian centre-back Nikola Katic has been carded in six of his 20 internationals but, again, the price of 2.75 doesn’t appeal enough.
World Cup 2026: Best Bets, Weds July 1
Wissa anytime scorer @ 5.2 with kwiff
Anderson over 1.5 shots @ 2.2 with kwiff
I Gueye over 0.5 shots @ 1.9 with kwiff
BTTS in USA v BIH @ 1.95 with kwiff
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