England v Honduras: Profit from a second-half eruption

England will consider picking their strongest side in Miami

Expect three or more goals in what should be a successful final pre-World Cup friendly for England...

England v Honduras
Saturday, 21:45
Live on ITV

Match Odds: England 1.4840/85, Honduras 9.417/2, The Draw 4.57/2

Any England fans a bit miffed that they could only draw with Ecuador in their last encounter should look at Honduras' preparation for the World Cup and realise how little they have to complain about.

The Three Lions' final friendly opponents before their Group D opener against Italy have lost their two warm-up games to date, despite both coming against nations that didn't even reach Europe's play-offs. They were felled 0-2 by Turkey in Washington DC and 2-4 by Israel in Houston.

While an established threat like Italy have sufficient World Cup pedigree for pre-tournament flops against Republic of Ireland and Luxembourg not to be judged too harshly, such dreadful results are not an attractive look on a side already rated the competition's joint-biggest outsiders at 1000.0n/a.

It also means that - as much as friendly form clearly shouldn't be overanalysed - England will be heading to Manaus drained of confidence, momentum and media backing if they fail to prevail at the Sun Life Stadium.

All evidence points to that scenario being avoided though. They won the farewell fixture before their last four tournaments, seeing off more accomplished foes in Belgium and Japan prior to the last two. Opta note that they have won nine of their last ten meetings with CONCACAF teams.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals

England's clash with Ecuador disregarded plenty of under-2.5-goal indicators to deliver four, so it is remarkable that you can back overs at odds above evens in a match that seems far more tailored towards such an outcome.

Both of Roy Hodgson's squad's post-season ventures cleared the barrier with at least 20 minutes to spare, and Honduras promise to be even more accommodating. Opta reveal that they have leaked 16 times in six internationals. In that run, two were gifted to Jamaica and Ecuador and four to Israel.

Half With Most Goals

Opta highlight that nine of England's last 12 goals were scored after the exchange of oranges and unusual space-monkey analogies at half-time. Two of their three games in 2014 have had more net-ripplers in the second half than the first, with the exception being a tie.

Four of Honduras' last five outings also provided punters backing the final 45 to be livelier than the first with a profit, with the second half winning out by an aggregate scoreline of 15-5 in that sample.

Best Bet: Back over 2.5 goals @ 2.0621/20
Other Recommended Bet: Back the second half to have more goals @ 2.26/5