Lithuania was always going to have a chance to finish second in Group F in World Cup qualifying in UEFA. However, this team has struggled out of the blocks as it hits the halfway point of its qualifying campaign, and it's starting to become more and more realistic that the best this team can do is finish third in the group. A match here against England could very well see Lithuania down in fifth place with five matches left to play on the road to Russia.
This World Cup Qualifying duel will go down Sunday, March 26, 2017, at 1 p.m. ET at Wembley Stadium. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 2.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
England -800
Lithuania +2300
Draw +810
Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
Qualifying for major tournaments hasn't been a hassle for England over the course of the last several years, and the World Cup in 2018 isn't an exception. We know the Three Lions are going to qualify, and matches like this one are part of the reason for it. Lithuania is going to have its shot, but any chances of actually picking up a point in this match are thin at best.
England is favored by 2.5-goals on the Asian Handicap and is a strong -800 favorite on the moneyline. It's not quite a dead lock to get three points, but it's hard to see any route for success for Lithuania.
To make matters worse for the Lithuanians, they're up against a total of just a flat 3, and that means they're a longshot just to score a goal.
How They've Performed
Part of what has really toughened up this England team a bit has been some serious friendly matches. The club played against Spain at home in November and played to a 2-2 draw, and it's going to face off with Germany in Dortmund before this match kicks off on Sunday as a nice prep.
The Three Lions have picked up 10 of a possible 12 points in Group F as a result, and if they keep up at that pace, they're going to win this group going away. A scoreless draw at Slovenia wasn't the end of the world, as there's a good chance it is, in actuality, the second best team in this group. So long as England keeps winning matches like this one at home, reaching Russia will be a cinch.
Lithuania has a mixed bag of results thus far in Group F. The team was crushed at Slovakia 4-0 but did pick up a point at Scotland in a 1-1 draw. The real killer though, was a 2-2 draw at home against Slovenia, as these home matches are ones that have to be won to qualify out of a wide open group like this one. Lithuania did take care of Malta 2-0 at home, but Malta has just one goal and is 0-0-4 in its four fixtures thus far in this group.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Part of the problem with the Lithuanians is that they don't have a lot of experience against teams like this one. Their captain is a 25-year old in Fiodor Cernych, and though he might turn out to be a fantastic player down the line, he only has eight goals in 30 matches for his country and is playing on a suspect Polish team, Jagiellonia Bialystok at the club level.
Meanwhile, you know the names for the Three Lions. Alli, Sterling, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Defoe, Vardy, Cahill, Hart… The list goes on and on of Premier League players who are at the top of their game. We can't see England coughing this match up, but we also have a hard time imagining the Three Lions winning by the requisite three goals.
World Cup Qualifying Odds: England 2, Lithuania 0
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