England vs Malta prediction, odds and betting tips

Publish date: 2024-06-07

England should be in for a comfortable evening when Malta visit Wembley Stadium for a Euro 2024 qualifier.

England vs Malta betting offer

England vs Malta odds

Get the latest odds for the England - Malta game. All odds are provided by our best-reviewed football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.

⚡Quick England vs Malta betting tips

England vs Malta predictions

With the final set of European Championship qualifiers coming up in the next few days, England are one of nine teams to have already booked their place in Germany.

A 3-1 victory over Italy last month secured a top-two finish in Group C for Gareth Southgate’s side. England are sitting pretty in top spot after taking 16 points from the first 18 available, and one win in either of their two remaining matches would wrap up first-place finish.

The pressure is therefore off ahead of their upcoming matches against Malta and North Macedonia.

Despite that, Gareth Southgate has resisted the temptation to call up numerous untested players for this international break.

The likes of Jordan Pickford, Harry Kane, Jordan Henderson, Marcus Rashford, Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire have kept their places, with Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount and Reece James among the high-profile absentees.

Southgate’s decision to mostly stick with familiar faces presumably stems from a desire to get as much contact time as possible with the players he sees as fundamental to the group.

Even so, the England boss is unlikely to name his strongest possible XI for the visit of Malta to Wembley Stadium. That could be good news for the likes of Levi Colwill, Jarrod Bowen, Fikayo Tomori and Ollie Watkins, all of whom have under 10 caps to their name.

Malta are one of European football’s minnows. They rank 171st in the world, ahead of only Gibraltar, Liechtenstein and San Marino from UEFA (and below the likes of Fiji, Cuba and South Sudan overall). 

England won 4-0 in the reverse fixture in June, while Malta have been defeated in each of their seven other qualifiers to date. 

This should be a comfortable evening under the lights in north London for the Three Lions.

📝 England vs Malta betting tips

England will encounter few problems when they host Malta in this European Championship qualifying fixture.

England -1 first half handicap - 4/6 (bet365)

This will be England’s final home game of 2023, with the national team not due back in action until March once this break has come to an end.

That will provide a source of motivation to the players, who will be keen to end the year on a high ahead of another tournament in 2024.

Games like this are difficult to forecast from a betting perspective. There is no doubt that England will emerge triumphant, so it can be hard to find value in the market.

Yet this wager looks very attractive given it would pay off if England are just two goals ahead with 45 minutes on the clock.

Free Bet Offers

Claim all the best free bet offers all season

By way of comparison, the Three Lions were 3-0 up at the midway point of the first clash between these two teams in Group C, as an own goal plus efforts from Kane and Trent Alexander-Arnold put the visitors to Ta' Qali in a commanding position at the interval.

With home advantage on their side, it is difficult to imagine England struggling early on. Indeed, there should be plenty of chances for Southgate’s side in the first half against Malta.

⚽ Go for England with a -1 first half handicap at 4/6 with bet365 ⚽

Over 4.5 goals - 5/4 (Betfair)

England fell just short of a fifth goal against Malta last time out. But if the hosts are in party mode on Friday, they should be capable of going one better than June’s 4-0 success.

One of the main criticisms levelled at Southgate is a perceived tendency towards caution in matches against bigger nations. 

But England have often forced open opposition floodgates when they are the favourites. For instance, North Macedonia were demolished 7-0 at Wembley just five months ago.

Even if Southgate uses this match as a chance to take a look at a few different players or systems, England will have way too much quality for Malta.

Meanwhile any fringe squad members who are handed a start will be desperate to make an impression, especially those in attacking areas who will be coming up against defenders that mostly ply their trade in the Maltese league.

Malta have largely avoided heavy thrashings in Group C but they may not be so lucky this time around. England should have it in them to score at least five goals on Friday night.

⚽ Choose over 4.5 goals at 5/4 with Betfair ⚽

Jarrod Bowen to score any time - 9/2 (bet365)

It has been a mixed start to the season for West Ham United, but Jarrod Bowen has been consistently excellent for David Moyes’ men. 

His 12 Premier League appearances to date have yielded eight goals, which means only Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah have had better scoring starts than the Hammers man.

Bowen has been linked with a move to Liverpool in the past and he may well reappear on the radar’s of big-six clubs if he is able to maintain his current form.

It is no surprise that his performances at club level have brought international recognition. Bowen has been playing through the middle for West Ham of late, but he will more than likely feature out wide here.

Southgate will probably use this game as an opportunity to take a good look at the 26-year-old, who should get at least 45 minutes to show what he can do.

Against this Malta defence, Bowen will fancy his chances of making a positive impression.

⚽ Back Jarrod Bowen to score any time at 9/2 with bet365 ⚽

📺 How to watch England vs Malta

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on Twitter @GregLeaFootball

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.

Most read in Betting

ncG1vNJzZmiskaG4tLzOq6tnm5%2BifKOx062gp59fZoN1fpNtamidnpy5orrDZq2sZZ2WubWtjKibnatdqbaxv44%3D