I took this angle when Uruguay played England last week, with the South American side priced at 1.8 to score at Wembley in their 1-1 draw. 

England looked far from secure at the back. Thomas Tuchel did rotate the squad, which can take partial blame for England conceding, but I think the backline is the weakest part of this England squad and has been exposed at times by the better sides that England have faced under Tuchel.

This price is probably so generous due to England’s defensive record during in qualifying, in which they didn’t concede a goal. They did, however, concede three goals against Senegal in a friendly last year, and conceded against Uruguay last week from the penalty spot.

Japan have been growing on the international stage for some time, and arrive for this game having avoided defeat across their last five matches. They’ve scored in all five of those games, including against Scotland at the weekend. 

Harry Kane should come into the starting lineup here after watching from the sidelines as England drew 1-1 with Uruguay. England clearly miss Kane whenever he is rested or unavailable, and the backup options to him are a stark drop-off from the quality he offers England.

Kane is England’s all-time top goalscorer with 78 goals across just 112 caps (0.69 goals per game), which is an incredible record to maintain on the international stage. Kane netted eight goals across his eight starts during qualifying, taking 31 shots across those matches (4.10 per 90).

Of those 31 attempts, 16 found the target - working out to an average of 2.10 shots on target per 90. Furthermore, Kane is averaging 2.66 shots on target per 90 in the Bundesliga this term, so he is covering this line very regularly and quite comfortably in most matches. He should get good service here, with England expected to line up with a stronger XI than the one that took on Uruguay last week.

I think Elliot Anderson should be one of the first names on the team sheet at the World Cup, which may seem a bit reactionary given his relatively recent breakthrough into the national team and the variety of options that England have available to partner Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham in midfield.

Anderson complements those two more than the likes of James Garner, Kobbie Mainoo or Adam Wharton and has impressed me every time he’s lined up for the Three Lions. Winning fouls is a strong part of Anderson’s game, he’s drawn 68 fouls across his 31 starts in the Premier League this season (2.21 per 90) and is averaging around 90 touches per 90 in the top-flight.

To add to this, Anderson drew eight fouls across just four starts during England’s qualifying campaign (1.95 per 90). His touches per 90 increase for England to over 120 touches, aiding his ability to win fouls.