England World Cup 2022 squad odds: 12 surprise players that could be named
Gareth Southgate is expected to reveal England’s provisional squad for the Qatar World Cup today.
Gareth Southgate will be laying down his provisional plans for the World Cup soon ahead of next month’s tournament. The competition is set to kick off on Sunday November 20, with England’s first match taking place a day later when they face Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Before the team jet off to Qatar, Southgate has to select his squad. It has been confirmed that the 52-year-old will select a whopping 55-man provisional squad today and will then have to whittle it down to 26 by November 13. However we are expected to discover the final squad days earlier than the deadline.
The squad announcement is always full of criticism, debate and some joy, while the weeks leading up to it are spent considering Southgate’s wide range of options and whether your favourite player will make the cut.
Premier League stars such as Jordan Pickford, Declan Rice and Harry Kane are all staples in the Three Lions set-up and will be guaranteed their place on the plane, however there are still a number of players that have an outside chance of staking their claim.
Here are 12 players who will be hopeful of a call-up and how likely the bookies think their prospects are.
1. Harvey Elliott - 7/2
The teenager only made his England U21 debut in March but could already be knocking on senior team’s door after an impressive start to the season for Liverpool. Elliott has scored both his first Premier League and Champions League goal in the past few months.
2. Callum Wilson - 4/1
Wilson has earned four caps for England but injuries have prevented him from making his mark. The striker has scored three goals in six matches for Newcastle this season.
3. Ryan Sessegnon - 4/1
Sessegnon’s career with Tottenham has been one of inconsistency, however he is a regular in the England U21 set-up and could attempt to force his way into the senior team given their lack of left-backs.
4. Eberechi Eze - 10/1
It has already been reported that Eze will be included in England’s initial 55-man squad this week. The midfielder was named in Gareth Southgate’s provisional squad for Euro 2020 last year but was injured in a training sesson on the same day and had to pull out.