Latvia vs England World Cup Qualifier Tips: Rice nice price to lead Lions' charge
England will be looking to book their ticket to next summer's World Cup when they visit Riga to take on Latvia in a group stage qualifier on Tuesday night.
Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions need a victory at the Daugava Stadium in the Latvian capital to qualify with two games spare and, having won all five of their previous qualifiers without conceding a goal, they would be hugely disappointed not to seal the deal.
Latvia have won only one of their last 11 internationals and have not beaten a nation ranked inside FIFA’s top 50 since stunning Austria in a Euro 2020 qualifier six years ago.
They were thumped 3-0 by England at Wembley in their Group K opener back in March where they mustered just three shots compared to the hosts' 27.
Head coach Paolo Nicolato will be hoping home advantage might level the playing field though odds of 1/25 for an England win tell their own story.
Team news
Latvia head coach Nicolato may make changes following Saturday's grim 2-2 draw with minnows Andorra, which all but ended their slim hopes of finishing second in Group K.
RFS midfielder Janis Ikaunieks will start after being surprisingly benched against Andorra with Nicolato unlikely to deviate from his 5-3-2 shape.
Harry Kane missed England's 3-0 friendly win over Wales on Thursday but has returned to training, which is welcome news for Tuchel since Ollie Watkins has picked up an injury.
Tuchel used the Wales game as a rehearsal for this so it is hard to see the German making too many changes with Anthony Gordon, Morgan Rogers and Marcus Rashford pencilled in for the attacking slots alongside Kane.
Tip 1 – Declan Rice to Score @ 14/5
Declan Rice went into the international break by bagging his first Arsenal goal of the season in a 2-0 win over West Ham, and the England midfielder can now add to his tally for the national team.
This is the type of game which plays to Rice's strengths, a likely one-sided affair in which the Gunners' anchorman can step forward at will and find space with so many Latvian bodies occupied by the England front four.
Rice, who captained the Three Lions in Harry Kane's absence in Thursday night's 3-0 win over Wales, had only one shot which went over, but was always available around the edge of the box and from set-plays, and is a constant threat.
Rice’s scoring record from midfield is good. Last season, for example, he scored 12 goals in total, three of them for England.
He will be back on the goal trail soon and looks nicely priced to take one of the many chances England are going to create in Viga.
Tip 2 – Corners 3-Way Handicap - Starts 5-0 - England @ 21/20
The idea of winning at least six more corners than the home team might seem a tall order but it is definitely in England's wheelhouse.
At home to Latvia at Wembley in March, a game the Three Lions won 3-0, they piled up 10 corners to Latvia's two and that gulf between the countries could easily be on display again at the Daugava Stadium.
The pressure from the away side will be constant and with so much pace out wide towards the byline and with shots raining down on Krisjanis Zviedris' goal, England could land the handicap.
Tip 3 – Over 1.5 England 1st Half Goals @ Evens
In Paolo Nicolato's 17 games in charge of Latvia he has seen his side concede the first goal on 13 different occasions.
In 10 of those 13 games that first goal was conceded in the first half, including at Wembley against England in March when Reece James opened the scoring after 38 minutes.
Nicolato was livid that they did it again on Saturday, falling behind after 33 minutes in the awful 2-2 draw at home to Andorra.
England hit three inside 20 minutes against Wales last time out and will want to put this tie to bed early. You could take them to strike at least twice before the break.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change
