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England and Ghana face off this Tuesday at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in a direct clash for the top spot in the that could determine the path for both teams in the tournament.
Both teams arrive with three points after winning their respective debuts. The English team crushed Croatia 4-2 with a brace from Harry Kane, while Ghana defeated Panama 1-0 with a last-minute goal from Caleb Yirenkyi in the 90+5 minute.
The much-anticipated main player is Kane. The English captain tied with Gary Lineker as England's all-time leading scorer in World Cups with 10 goals following his brace against Croatia, and a goal against Ghana would make him the all-time leading English scorer in the tournament.
The Bayern Munich forward has scored five goals in five matches against African teams, three of which were in World Cup tournaments, and he arrives in exceptional form after netting 60 goals in 50 matches during the 2025-26 season.
Another possible milestone is that of Jude Bellingham. The Real Madrid midfielder would be playing his 50th match with the senior national team and, at 22 years and 359 days old, he would become the youngest player to reach that figure with England, surpassing the record previously held by Wayne Rooney.
Also, Jordan Pickford and John Stones could reach 14 World Cup matches, just three away from the historical English record held by Peter Shilton.
From a statistical standpoint, history clearly favors the Three Lions. England remains unbeaten in its eight World Cup matches against African teams, with five wins and three draws, and Ghana will be the eighth different African opponent they face in the competition, more than any other team in the history of the tournament.
The team led by Thomas Tuchel also showed remarkable offensive power in their debut: only Germany recorded more shots on target on the opening day, with the English side hitting the target 11 times against Croatia.
On the African side, the Black Stars arrive with high morale following their victory over Panama, although the statistics against European opponents in World Cups are not encouraging: four matches without a win, with one draw and three losses.
The coach Carlos Queiroz, appointed just 59 days before the start of the tournament, is leading his fifth consecutive World Cup, thus matching the record of Bora Milutinović. He also has a personal motivation: his worst World Cup defeat came precisely against England, when Iran lost 6-2 in Qatar 2022.
Among the Ghanaian players, Jordan Ayew stands out as the oldest to play in a World Cup match for Ghana, having led the tournament in high-intensity pressures among forwards during the opening day. Antoine Semenyo is recognized as the primary offensive threat for the Africans.
The prediction models give England a 69% chance of winning, compared to 19% for a draw and 12% for Ghana.
The match is scheduled for 4:00 PM Cuba time, and a victory for England would bring the Three Lions closer to the Round of 32, while Ghana needs to earn points to avoid being in a difficult position going into the final match of the group.
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