Opta’s supercomputer has backed England to defeat Ghana in Tuesday’s pivotal FIFA World Cup Group L encounter, with the Three Lions emerging as overwhelming favourites in pre-match simulations.
England and Ghana meet at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough with both teams sitting on three points after winning their opening matches. While Ghana edged Panama 1-0 thanks to Caleb Yirenkyi’s late winner, England produced an impressive attacking display to beat Croatia 4-2.
According to data published by Opta’s The Analyst, the supercomputer simulated the match 25,000 times and predicted an England victory in 78.8 per cent of those outcomes.
A draw occurred in 13.3 per cent of the simulations, while Ghana were given just a 7.9 per cent chance of securing all three points.
The prediction reflects England’s status as one of the tournament favourites. With stars such as Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka available, Thomas Tuchel’s side boasts one of the strongest squads remaining in the competition.
However, Ghana have repeatedly embraced the underdog label throughout the tournament.
Several Black Stars players, including Brandon Thomas-Asante and Jordan Ayew, have spoken about using external doubt as motivation, while defender Gideon Mensah recently declared that he intends to change the narrative surrounding the fixture.
The Black Stars will also be strengthened by the expected return of vice-captain Thomas Partey, who missed the opening victory over Panama after being denied entry into Canada. The experienced midfielder is now available after Ghana relocated to the United States for the remainder of the group stage.
Head coach Carlos Queiroz has also warned his players that success against England will require sacrifice and discipline.
“We have to suffer; there is no other way. We must be ready to make sacrifices,” Queiroz said ahead of the match.
“You have to be ready to pay the price because a win in this World Cup is very expensive. But the boys are ready to pay that price.”
Despite the supercomputer’s prediction, Ghana have already shown resilience in the tournament. Their victory over Panama has left them in a strong position to challenge for qualification, with a draw against England potentially enough to keep them on course for the knockout stages ahead of their final group match against Croatia.
Victory for England would guarantee progression to the next round, while a Ghana win would rank among the biggest upsets of the tournament so far and put the Black Stars in complete control of Group L.