Albania v England bet builder tips for Sunday
An Arsenal supporter and occasional match-goer, Liam has been involved in football journalism for a number of years and joined the Spotlight Sports Group in 2018. He is studying for a degree in German and Spanish, can speak French too and is particularly interested in the Bundesliga and La Liga.
The international break rumbles on this weekend as the second round of World Cup qualifiers get underway. England’s campaign began in emphatic but unsurprising style as they swatted aside San Marino 5-0 and on Sunday they visit Albania as huge favourites once again.
Bet builders and same-game multis have enjoyed a huge surge in popularity over the past year as punters look for enticing odds without having to wait around and keep track of multiple games. With that in mind, Liam Flin has put together a handy bet builder guide for those of you planning to tune in to Albania vs England.
You can find the rest of our predictions and analysis for Sunday’s fixtures on our football tips page.
Albania vs England bet builder guide
Match result
Both Albania and England got their World Cup 2022 qualifying campaigns underway with wins but given their respective opponents were Andorra and San Marino, there is little which can be drawn from their opening matches.
But England are well-versed when it comes to qualifiers, having topped their Euro 2020 qualifying section with ease. They won seven of their eight matches, netted 37 goals and conceded only six to finish top of a section featuring Czech Republic, Kosovo, Bulgaria and Montenegro.
Gareth Southgate’s men were underwhelming in the Nations League but they have shown they can get the job done against the continent’s lesser lights and the bet builder starts with a bet on England to win at 2/7.
Bet builder tip: England to win
Both teams to score
Albania finished their European Championship qualifying campaign with a mediocre 4-1-5 record, meaning they finished fourth out of six teams in Group H behind France, Turkey and Iceland but above Andorra and Moldova.
A 4-2 win over Iceland was arguably the highlight of that campaign but they often shot themselves in the foot with results like a 2-2 draw at home to Andorra.
And when it came to playing the bigger sides, they struggled for goals, failing to net in both of their group games with Turkey, away to Iceland and at home to France. In fact, in that contest with Les Bleus they failed to even register a shot on target.
Despite 14 shots and 74 per cent possession against Andorra in their opening World Cup qualifier, Albania only scored once and they are not helped in the final third by the absence of Malaga forward Armando Sadiku, who has scored 12 times for the national team.
Against a relatively blunt attack England, who shipped only four goals in six games in the latest edition of the Nations League, should be fancied to keep a clean sheet so both teams to score in the match no at 4/7 looks a solid addition to the bet builder.
Bet builder tip: Both teams not to score
Goalscorer markets
Most of England’s squad would have been keen to feature against San Marino, knowing it would be an opportunity to flex their goalscoring muscle, and Southgate made full use of his five substitutions at Wembley.
Everton marksman Dominic Calvert-Lewin bagged a brace while James Ward-Prowse, Raheem Sterling and Ollie Watkins all also got on the scoresheet but none of those players were the most lively in attack as far as the stats are concerned.
Jesse Lingard has looked a different player since going out on loan at West Ham, where he has scored five goals in seven matches, and he made a terrific impression upon his return to the national set-up.
Lingard may not have scored but he managed ten shots, five of which were on target, at the national stadium and laid on an assist. He was one of England’s most influential players against San Marino and is worth a bet at 15/8 to score anytime away to Albania.
Bet builder tips: Jesse Lingard to score at anytime
Half Time/Full Time
England took only 14 minutes to take the lead against minnows San Marino and, although Albania are expected to put up more of a fight in this contest, the Three Lions have made a habit of scoring early in qualifying fixtures.
During the Euro 2020 qualification campaign, Southgate’s men led at the break in all but one of their eight group matches and the times of their opening goals demonstrated they start on the front foot.
In their eight matches they opened the scoring after 24, 30, 24, eight, five, seven, 11 and 32 minutes, netting before the break in every match.
With that in mind and considering Albania shipped first-half goals in each of their last two home games against Kazakhstan and Belarus – both sides with far weaker attacks than England – it could pay to back England to be winning at half time and full time.
Bet builder tips: England/England
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