Two sides who love to hate each other in the sports world clash at Wembley Stadium on Friday as England host Australia in an international friendly.
After going five unbeaten to open up their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying account thanks to four wins and one draw, England warm up for their next qualifier against Italy on October 17 by hosting old foes the Socceroos.
These two sides haven’t met since 2016 when Wayne Rooney proved the difference-maker in a friendly matchup prior to the Euros that year, but there’s hope for a positive Australian result here 20 years on from their own shock 3-1 win on English soil at Upton Park.
They enter this latest clash in indifferent form following their Round of 16 exit at the hands of Argentina in the 2022 World Cup. Since then, the visitors have won just one of four internationals, going winless in their past three, which hardly serves as ideal preparation for facing Gareth Southgate’s side.
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England vs Australia match facts
- Date: Friday, October 13, 2023
- Kickoff Time: 7:45 p.m. local (2:45 p.m. ET / 11:45 a.m. PT)
- Location: Wembley (London, England)
- Official: Stephanie Frappart
- Last meeting: England 2-1 Australia (May 27, 2016 — International friendly)
England vs Australia prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: England to win (-500)
- Score prediction: England 3-1 Australia
| ENG win |
Draw | AUS win |
Both teams to score Y / N |
Over / Under 2.5 goals |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM (USA) |
-500 | +550 | +1250 | +125 / -175 | -185 / +130 |
England vs Australia best bet
- Pick: Both teams to score — YES
- Odds: +125 (BetMGM)
Although they’re usually known for their rock-solid defence under Southgate, England have struggled in recent outings to keep clean sheets.
Their past two matches against Ukraine and Scotland have seen them concede and with this latest clash against Australian being a friendly match, Southgate may experiment at the back.
That leaves room for more defensive frailties here at Wembley, especially against opposition who have got on the scoresheet in nine of their most recent 10 internationals.
England vs Australia flier bet
- Pick: Harry Kane to score multiple goals
- Odds: +500 (BetMGM)
After assuming the title of England’s greatest goalscorer not too far back, it’s difficult to look past Harry Kane adding further to his tally here.
He now stands on 59 strikes in just 86 international appearances for his country, a scoring ratio that stands as one of the best of his generation.
He also enters the international break in red-hot form for new side Bayern Munich. For the German champions, he already has nine goals to his name through 10 matches across all competitions, with two of those games seeing him net two or more goals.
That stands him in good stead here to grab a few more against an Australian defence which has struggled of late, failing to keep a clean sheet in their past five outings.