It’s that time again – time to stare a World Cup in the face and convince yourself that maybe, just maybe, England can go all the way.

To be honest, their chances of escaping the group stage are solid, even if they may not come top. England are a Group G 25-10-5 Index spread of 14.75-16.25 to Belgium’s 16.75-18.25, with fixed odds of 5/4 to finish 1st and 1/8 to qualify.



Into the last 16 and Gareth Southgate’s would face one of Poland, Senegal, Colombia or Japan – all winnable, but with a definite preference towards the Asian and African nations. Leap over that hurdle and it’s onto the quarter-finals, where there’s a high chance that England would come up against Brazil or Germany. It’s likely that eventually explains why they have a dark horse Outright Index spread of 24.5-27.5 – where the winner gets 100 points, runner-up 75, losing semi-finalists 50, losing quarter-finalists 25 and losing last-16ers 10 – and a fixed odds price of 20/1.

There’s more fun to be had, however, than just speculating on England’s eventual, inevitable exit. The country’s hopes may rest on Harry Kane, so it’s worth taking a look at his Tournament Goals spread of 2.45-2.75 and a Player Goals Minutes spread of 128-143. He also sits at 11/1 to pick up the 2018 Golden Boot, a price only bested by Neymar, Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann, who are all at 9/1.

Beyond the Tottenham ace, Raheem Sterling looks like England’s best bet goals-wise following a superb season at Man City, with a Tournament PGM spread of 56.5-62.5, followed by Dele Alli at 55-60.

As is to be expected Jordan Pickford tops the Player Tournament Minutes table with a spread of 415-455. The importance of Kane is shown in the fact he isn’t too far behind at 400-430, a price he shares with Kyle Walker. But spare a thought for poor Nick Pope, who’ll be lucky to get a look in at 0-20.

None of them take your fancy? How about something a bit wackier? Spreadex are offering a Jamie Vardy’s Having a Party spread of 8-12, made up by multiplying the Leicester forward’s shots off target with his shots on target. With Pound Sterling, offered at 95-115, you get 10 points for every time the City supremo is fouled; while Pain in the Butland, at 370-400, focuses on how many minutes the Stoke goalie will spend keeping the bench warm.