Fierce competition for places in England's 2022 World Cup attacking unit

England's preparations for the 2022 World Cup continue with friendly internationals against Switzerland on Saturday and Ivory Coast on Tuesday.

The Euro 2020 runners-up are 10-1, and as short as 7-1 in places, to lift the trophy in Qatar and we assess the latest betting on who will make Gareth Southgate's 23-man squad for the finals.

Best bet

Ivan Toney to make England's World Cup squad
1pt 8-1 Ladbrokes

Goalkeepers

England's three goalkeepers for the World Cup seem to be inked in as Everton's Jordan Pickford, Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale and Burnley's Nick Pope.

Pickford has the international experience, having been number one at the 2018 World Cup, 2019 Nations League finals and Euro 2020, but Ramsdale's impressive Premier League form for the Gunners has given Southgate something to think about long term, although the Arsenal cat looks set to miss the upcoming friendlies with Switzerland and Ivory Coast with a hip injury picked up in the loss to Liverpool last week.

Defenders

Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi and Arsenal's Ben White are among the defenders in England's latest squad but Southgate is likely to stick with the old guard when it comes to the World Cup finals.

Harry Maguire has been under scrutiny for his poor performances at Manchester United but the England boss described Maguire and fellow centre-back John Stones as "outstanding" last week, adding: "We don't have better in this country at this moment in time."

Southgate also stressed that Kyle Walker remains a key part of his plans despite being left out for the upcoming friendlies and Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell, currently recovering from a serious knee injury, is rated as another banker selection.

Luke Shaw, whose goal gave England an early lead in the Euro 2020 final against Italy, is also long odds-on to make the plane but there is more competition for the right-back berths.

Walker, Reece James, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who missed the Euros through injury and is again absent from this week's friendlies, are three top-class options and Kieran Trippier, a Southgate favourite, must also be on the shortlist.

Midfielders

The late-November start for the World Cup is a boost for players such as Chilwell and Trippier, who have had injury-disrupted 2021-22 seasons, and Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips is also in that category.

Phillips's partnership with Declan Rice was one of the features of England's run to the Euro 2020 final but he has been sidelined for Leeds since the first week of December.

Southampton's James Ward-Prowse and Palace's Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher should get opportunities this week although there is fierce competition for places, particularly as squads are set to be restricted to 23 players rather than the 26 permitted at Euro 2020.

Rice, Phillips, Jude Bellingham and Mason Mount are all strong candidates but, six months out from the World Cup, Jordan Henderson is easy to swerve at around 1-4. He may well slip down the pecking order at Liverpool at the start of next season and he had a limited role as a substitute at last summer's Euros.

Forwards

Southgate won't be scratching his head for long about his first-choice centre-forward - captain Harry Kane - but the England manager has some tough decisions to make about the rest of his attacking unit.

Manchester City trio Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish are in the latest squad along with Arsenal youngsters Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe while West Ham winger Jarrod Bowen was hotly tipped for a first call-up before an untimely heel injury.

That roster of talent explains why Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho missed out this time, although Sancho's recent club form suggests he should still be on Southgate's radar.

Palace winger Michael Olise had been a lively outsider to make the squad but the youngster, who also qualifies for Algeria and Nigeria, looks set to make his France Under-21 debut this week.

The battle to be Kane's understudy is an interesting heat and Tammy Abraham got the nod in the latest squad, having reached 20 goals in all competitions for Jose Mourinho's Roma this term.

Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin is an obvious alternative but he, like Leeds forward Patrick Bamford, has struggled with injuries this season so Brentford's Ivan Toney is worth a small bet.

Toney scored 31 goals in the Championship last season and Kane is the only English player with more Premier League goals than him this season.

Bees boss Thomas Frank expects his star man to get an England call-up "sooner rather than later" and Toney has also scored 23 of his 24 career penalties – which could be handy given England's history at major tournaments.

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