England take on Greece in UEFA Nations League action on Thursday at Wembley Stadium.
Both teams sit tied atop the table on six points through two games, but my England vs. Greece predictions have us looking at a player prop market with juicy odds.
Find out why we are backing Cole Palmer to score in our free betting picks for October 10.
England vs Greece picks and predictions
My best bet:
Cole Palmer anytime goal (+200 at bet365)
My analysis
England host Greece at Wembley Stadium on Thursday in a fascinating UEFA Nations League game. It’s fascinating for a number of reasons. Firstly, the two teams are level at the top of their group and the winner takes a huge step forward for promotion, with the two teams meeting in Athens next month.
Secondly, this is the third game of Lee Carsley’s time as caretaker manager for England, a role which he’s expected to retain for the duration of the Nations League campaign until the new year when the FA will make a decision on a permanent hire.
This is, quite clearly, an audition for the role and the former Under 21 coach will want to keep on winning in order to cement that job for himself. The new Carsley era started well in the last international break with the team taking plaudits for their attacking prowess, showing more going forward than we saw under Gareth Southgate.
What makes this so interesting is that Carsley has a new problem to solve, how to add Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, and Cole Palmer into the team, given that none were available in his first two games in chance. That’ll be hard with one of his favorites, Anthony Gordon, as well as Bukayo Saka, playing so well last time out. The one man who is almost certain to start is Cole Palmer. Carsley knows the Chelsea man well from his time as England Under 21 manager, in which Palmer was one of the stars of his team. Now it’s time for the 22-year to show what he can do for the senior team, and he’s our best bet to score on Thursday.
Palmer broke out last season after switching Man City for Chelsea but he was only used as a substitute at Euro 2024, making five appearances from the bench and scoring one and assisting another. Now he has a chance to demonstrate his skills from the start and he comes into this in red-hot form.
So far this season we’ve seen Palmer score six goals and set up a further five in just seven Premier League games. It’s fair to say that he’s currently the most in-form player in the country. He’s taking 3.4 shots per game for Chelsea, 1.66 per 90 minutes played, and scoring at a rate of 0.9 goals every 90 minutes.
This is a good Greek team but Palmer is in scintillating form, very direct, and will be able to use his speed and trickery to create spaces to shoot. He’s been reunited with a manager who has trust in him and has put him in a position to succeed previously, something which should help Palmer become one of England’s key men.
England vs Greece same-game parlay (SGP)
Cole Palmer anytime goal
Over 2.5 goals
England -1.5
In addition to our best bet for the game, we’re going to back the game to have Over 2.5 goals. Given that neither of Carsley’s games have had that number and only one of Greece’s two in this competition, that may seem like a stretch, but there’s good reason. That reason is the same as the other leg of this SGP, England -1.5.
That reason is principally the amount of time that the England players will have now had to work under Carsley. Against Ireland and Finland, there were spells in both games in which England looked freed from their shackles and were playing vibrant, attacking soccer. That didn’t last the full 90 minutes in either game but these players have now had more time with the coaching team and they’ll be more familiar with the style that Carsley wants them to play in. The addition of Palmer, who has worked with Carsley before, will only help them reach familiarity with his tactics quickly.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
England vs Greece odds
England vs Greece live odds
 England |
 Greece |
|
|---|---|---|
| -350 | Moneyline | +900 |
| +450 | Draw | +450 |
| Over 2.5 (-125) | Total | Under 2.5 (+100) |
Odds courtesy of bet365.
England vs Greece opening odds
- Moneyline: England -355 | Greece +950
- Draw: +450
- Over/Under: Over 2.5 | Under 2.5
England vs Greece side and Over/Under analysis
- Greece beat Ireland 2-0 last time out and Finland 3-0 before that.
- England beat the same opponents both 2-0.
- Greece have only conceded two goals in six games in 2024.
- Under 2.5 goals has landed in both of Lee Carsley’s games as England manager so far.
England vs Greece game info
| Location: | Wembley Stadium, Wembley, UK |
| Date: | Thursday, 10-10-2024 |
| Time: | 2:45 p.m. ET |
| TV: | FS2 |
| Weather: | 52F, 11 mph winds, 20% PoP |
England vs Greece key injuries
England: Kobbie Mainoo CM (Out), Morgan Gibbs-White FWR (Out), Ezri Konsa DEF (Out).
Greece: Fotis Ioannidis FWR (Out)
Not intended for use in MA.
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