Gareth Southgate's England side start their preparations for Euro 2020 with a warm-up fixture against Austria at the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday evening.
With a major tournament on the horizon, the nation's expectations are running high - and rightly so, with the Three Lions boasting a vast array of attacking talent among the ranks.
Southgate's youthful side are the current second-favourites to win Euro 2020 according to the bookmakers, behind 2018 World Cup champions France and just ahead of Belgium, the world's number one ranked team.
With just 11 days until their opening game of Euro 2020 against Croatia, Southgate will be aiming to get a win under his belt in the first of two pre-tournament friendlies.
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Meanwhile, Austria are getting set to enter the European Championships for the third time in their history, but they have never managed to pick up a win in each of their previous three tournament appearances.
Austria hardly have the most solid defence in international football either - conceding seven goals in their last three matches.
And having said that, this could also be a good opportunity for a couple of players currently on the fringes of either the squad or the usual starting 11 to make their case to Southgate.
England vs Austria betting tips & predictions
England are 4/9 to win, with Austria priced at 5/1 to come away with the victory. A draw is priced at 29/10.
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Prediction: 2-0 5/1
Half-Time/Full-Time: England/England 6/5
England have won 13 of their last 14 home matches and the nation are heavily fancied in this evening's match - and it comes as no surprise, too.
On closer inspection, the squad might look a bit skinny to side with at 4/9 on a night where they will be without the Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United contingent of their squad.
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However, even still without the big guns - including Mason Mount, Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford - the Three Lions still boast one of their strongest squads in years and should be able to put Austria to bed in the first and second half with ease.
To score and win: Harry Kane 23/20
The anytime goalscorer market looks like a rather safe bet tonight - and Harry Kane looks like the man to back, especially after ending the Premier League season in style when winning the Golden Boot.
Austria have conceded at least one goal in each of their last five matches and the in-form England skipper looks a given to put Franco Foda's side to work.
After Kane handed in a transfer request at Tottenham Hotspur last month, the wantaway forward will almost certainly be looking to impress potential suitors ahead of next season.
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The star striker could very well be packing his bags for Manchester City, but only time will tell.
Request A Bet: Kane & Lingard 2+ shots on target each 3/1
With Kane already tipped to score anytime for the Three Lions, we expect Jesse Lingard to get on the scoresheet or at least have to shots on target, too.
Lingard was left out of the 26-man squad for the European Championships, much to the dismay of England fans after his sizzling season at West Ham.
The 28-year-old midfielder enjoyed a wonderful campaign at the Hammers under David Moyes - and rejuvenated his career by netting nine goals in 16 games for the east London club, as well as notching five assists.
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We would be surprised if Lingard didn't give this game his all to prove a point to Southgate.
With that said, odds of 3/1 for both him and Kane to have two shots on target each looks like an absolute steal.
Odds are correct at the time of publication and are, as always, subject to change.
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England's last five results
31 March WCQ England 2 Poland 1 W
28 March WCQ Albania 0 England 2 W
25 March WCQ England 5 San Marino 0 W
18 November NL England 4 Iceland 0 W
15 November NL Belgium 2 England 0 L
Austria's last five results
31 March WCQ Austria 0 Denmark 4 L
28 March WCQ Austria 3 Faroe Islands 1 W
25 March WCQ Scotland 2 Austria 2 D
18 November NL Austria 1 Norway 1 D
15 November NL Austria 2 Northern Ireland 1 W
England team news
Harry Maguire, Jordan Henderson and Kalvin Phillips will all sit out as they recover from injury, while those who played in the Champions League final on Saturday are unlikely to feature either.
Austria team news
The visitors are without their star striker Marko Arnautovic, while Karim Onisiwo and Stefan Ilsanker are both facing late fitness tests.
Featured Image Credit:Topics:ย Euro 2020, England, Austria
