New Zealand looked disastrous in their recent clash against Haiti, so it’s hard to expect they will do much better against Thomas Tuchel’s side who want to end their two-game winless run.
Key Stats
- England have won 12 of their last 15 matches.
- England have won to nil in their last 2 matches against New Zealand.
- New Zealand have lost 8 of their last 10 matches.
- New Zealand have lost to nil in 3 of their last 4 matches.
England Dominate H2H
This is going to be the third time these two sides lock horns. England won both previous meetings without conceding.
Tuchel's Side Tagged Favorite
The Three Lions had an impeccable run in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, finishing top of Group K ahead of Albania, Serbia, Latvia and Andorra with eight wins in eight matches while conceding zero goals.
They wrapped things up with a 2-0 road win against Albania where Harry Kane netted a brace in the second half.
Thomas Tuchel’ side failed to impress in recent friendlies. After a 1-1 draw against Uruguay where they conceded in stoppage time, England were beaten in their most recent appearance by Japan 1-0 at Wembley.
All Whites Coming Off a Disastrous Performance
New Zealand also made it to the World Cup 2026, winning the Australian qualifiers with convincing playoff victories against Fiji 7-0 and New Caledonia 3-0.
They participated in a new type of tournament earlier this year called the FIFA Series, starting with a 2-0 defeat to Finland, registering just two shots on target and posting 0.32 xG here.
New Zealand did much better job in the follow up clash against Chile, claiming a 4-1 victory to ultimately win second place in this mini tournament. Jesse Randall was named man of the match with one goal and one assist.
A couple of days ago, the All Whites were crushed by another World Cup 2026 participant Haiti 4-0 despite being tagged favorites.
Team News & Predicted Lineups
England (4-2-3-1) Jordan Pickford; Reece James, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Nico O'Reilly; Elliot Anderson, Kobbie Mainoo; Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham, Marcus Rashford; Harry Kane
Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze will be rested here due to their involvement in the UCL finals with Arsenal.
Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze will be rested here due to their involvement in the UCL finals with Arsenal.
New Zealand (4-2-3-1) Max Crocombe; Tim Payne, Finn Surman, Tyler Bindon, Liberato Cacace; Marko Stamenic, Alex Rufer; Eli Just, Callum McCowatt, Jesse Randall; Chris Wood
Ryan Thomas and Joe Bell are ruled out for this match due to injuries.
Ryan Thomas and Joe Bell are ruled out for this match due to injuries.