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After cruising through the World Cup thus far in Group B with seven points and a +7 goal differential, England now begins the knockout rounds with a match against Senegal, who finished second in Group A behind the Netherlands.
The Three Lions are a -500 favorite to advance and -190 to win in 90 minutes. Does that price flatter England too much?
Below we preview the World Cup Round of 16 matchup between England and Senegal beginning at 2 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
On the surface, England’s results in the group stage look terrific. The Three Lions outscored their opposition, 9-2, and posted a +2.9 expected goal differential in three matches against Iran, the USA and Wales. But if you look a little deeper, you’ll notice that all of that damage came against Iran and Wales, two teams that prefer to sit deep and defend in low blocks because they’re weak in the midfield.
England defeated Iran, 6-2, and dominated Wales, 3-0, but against the Americans, the Three Lions struggled in a 0-0 draw. You could make a salient argument that the USMNT was the better side in that matchup, even if the expected goals, which ended 0.
