Wales – England

Wales will take on England in a blockbuster clash at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, and this match in Cardiff will have huge implications in establishing the winner of the 2019 Six Nations.

Wales is 2 for 2 so far in this year`s Six Nations, after wins against France in Paris (24-19) and against Italy in Rome (15-26). The Welsh will be happy with these results after initially going down 0-16 against France, and beating Italy despite fielding a second string lineup. Now, finally at home and against rivals England, they will be pumped up to claim a win which could end up meaning a title in the 2019 tournament.

Many were questioning England before the tournament, after The Three Lions finished 5th last year and had an overall poor 2018 season. However, England has been absolutely exceptional so far, beating title favorites Ireland convincingly in their back yard (32-20) and steamrolling past France 44-8. The team is really clicking right now, and England is definitely back at its best after that shaky season they had last year.

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Team news & lineups:

Wales has no new injuries, while England has lost Chris Ashton, Maro Itoje and Mako Vunipola for this clash – all key men.

Wales: 15 Liam Williams, 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Ross Moriarty, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Josh Navidi, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c), 4 Cory Hill, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Rob Evans

England: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Jonny May, 10 Owen Farrell (c), 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Mark Wilson, 5 George Kruis, 4 Courtney Lawes, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ben Moon

England has played world class rugby over the past few weeks, no doubt about that, but winning in Wales is never easy – and it won`t be this time either.

The Welsh have not been as exciting as England lately, but they are playing well themselves, and more importantly they are stacking up the wins – currently 11 in a row! They are strong and resilient (as proved in the amazing comeback against France in Round One), and a Welsh side like this one will always be a scary proposition in Cardiff for any team in the world.

Wales will also be fully rested after fielding the second stringers in the last round against Italy, so that will be a plus, while England might be just a bit affected by the injuries to Ashton, Itoje and Vunipola. Sure, England has plenty of depth to replace them, but their absence will still be felt. Overall, you have to feel that Wales has an advantage in the team news / team selection department.

Meetings between these two Nations have always been tight, tense and physical, and only one of the last six meetings was decided by more than 6 points. You would expect something similar today, with tries at a premium, and penalties set to be the main scoring option.

Weather is expected to be good at game time. The roof will be left open at the request of the visiting side.

Both sides are playing well and even though England is a bit stronger, the Welsh have plenty going for them as well, and they have home court advantage – always something of huge importance.

This Welsh side has proved time and time again to be a resilient side which never gives up. In good form and with the fans behind them, they will not go down without a fight, even if the opponent is as good as England. The spread seems disrespectful to Wales in my eyes and offers a great cushion, especially considering that a physical match without a ton of points is expected.

All in all, my tip will be Wales to cover the +3,5 point handicap, and I definitely don`t rule out a home win. Betting high stakes against this England side might be a risky move, but I trust my analysis enough to go with 8 units here. I`m very happy with the line and the odds. Prediction: Wales – England 22-21.

Pick: Wales +3,5
Odds: 2.13 @ 18Bet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 9.04
Event date: 23 February