Expert Jury: Jordan Pickford deserves his place as England's number one

We asked our top team of writers and a leading odds-compiler for their thoughts on this week's big talking points and this is how they answered...

What's your best bet for this weekend's international matches?

Racing Post's Aaron Ashley: The quick turnaround in the Nations League makes predicting line-ups difficult but Scotland look a big price to prevail in Ireland on Saturday. The Tartan Army responded well to their World Cup qualifying heartbreak, winning 2-0 at home to an Armenia side who had just four days earlier ground out a 1-0 victory over the Boys In Green. Scotland have a deeper squad than their hosts, who are still finding goals hard to come by.

Racing Post's Steve Davies: Gus Poyet is off to a flyer as Greece boss with three wins to nil in the Nations League and they can make it four in a row by beating Kosovo at home. The Greeks won 1-0 in Pristina last weekend and it will be a much weaker Kosovo they face in Volos, the visitors missing three of their starters through suspension and a few more – including Torino defender Mergim Vojvoda and Lille’s Edon Zhegrova – through injury.

Racing Post's Henry Hardwicke: Greece look a nice price to beat Kosovo in Volos on Sunday. The Pirate Ship have lost only once in five games since Gus Poyet took charge and the Uruguayan looks to be steering them in the right direction. Greece were impressive 3-0 winners against Cyprus on Thursday and they can win again on home soil.

Mike Jones from William Hill: Portugal to win away to Switzerland on Sunday. Portugal won 4-0 in the reverse fixture last Sunday, and although Switzerland put up a better fight losing 1-0 to Spain on Thursday, I didn’t see anything to suggest they will turn that result around against a Portugal side who have been in great form in 2022.

Will Wales get out of their group at the World Cup?

Aaron Ashley: Yes, and odds-against quotes look generous. Group B should be England’s for the taking but the Welsh have been extremely difficult to beat under Robert Page and if you combine that with the star quality of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, they should have little to fear from the USA and Iran. The Dragons took four points from Switzerland and Turkey to make the knockout stages at Euro 2020 and wins over Austria and Ukraine in World Cup qualifying highlight they are a team on the up.

Steve Davies: I don’t think it’s cut and dried because the USA are a decent team playing some good football and looking more and more like a challenge. And Iran’s defensive record suggests they are no mugs at all. England should dot up but I envisage a colossal scrap for second spot. So yes, of course Wales can get out of the group but it doesn’t look a done deal by any means.

Henry Hardwicke: Yes. I think Wales will prove stronger than the USA and Iran and secure second spot behind England. Robert Page has a good collective and he also has the star quality and match winning ability of Gareth Bale in his ranks.

Mike Jones: Wales should be really up for their first World Cup appearance since 1958. If their more experienced players are healthy and able to match the youthful energy of the rest of the squad, I’d expect them to qualify for the knockout stage.

Who should be England's starting goalkeeper in Qatar?

Aaron Ashley: Stick with what you know. Yes, Jordan Pickford’s performances for Everton have been patchy and he is prone to lapses in concentration but he is a different beast when representing his country. Pickford is an excellent shot-stopper and has been there and done it with the Three Lions, playing a key role in their run to the Euro 2020 final, while the only alternative is Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale, who has just one senior cap.

Steve Davies: I’ve seen so many Jordan Pickford blunders in club colours, not because he makes more than other keepers, it’s just that the media make such a big deal of them when they happen. Yet he’s hardly ever let England down and theatrically falling to the ground to waste a bit of time isn’t a reason to hate the bloke. Pope and Ramsdale are good but so’s Pickford – and it’s his shirt.

Henry Hardwicke: Aaron Ramsdale without a doubt. Ramsdale has had a good season with Arsenal and his keeping ability and distribution put him ahead of Jordan Pickford. The recent cluster of Nations League matches looked a good opportunity to give Ramsdale some international experience, but Gareth Southgate has stuck with Pickford and that’s likely to be the case in Qatar.

Mike Jones: Jordan Pickford. The goalkeeper position isn’t a particular strength of the England squad, but he has the right mentality for big games and great shot-stopping ability that could be key in any deep tournament run.

Give us a bet for either of the two World Cup playoffs?

Aaron Ashley: Both Oceania countries could struggle and while Costa Rica appeal to beat New Zealand, Peru look a better bet at a shade of odds-on in their clash with Australia. The Socceroos made hard work of seeing off UAE in their previous qualifier and are going to find life much tougher against the Peruvians. Ricardo Gareca’s side have lost only two of their last ten games and they came in the form of 1-0 losses to Argentina and Uruguay.

Steve Davies: This isn’t a great Aussie side, it has to be said, and they were awful for long periods of their win over UAE on Tuesday which set up their all-or-bust showdown with Peru. But Graham Arnold will set them up to be hard to break down and there doesn’t look to be an awful lot of goalpower in the Peruvian ranks either. This will be tight and the Australia or draw double chance looks a fair runner.

Henry Hardwicke: Peru can beat Australia in Qatar on Monday. The Socceroos were pretty fortunate to get past the UAE and it’s worth remembering that Graham Arnold’s men finished only third behind Saudi Arabia and Japan in their AFC qualifying section. Peru should prove too good.

Mike Jones: Costa Rica to beat New Zealand in 90 Minutes. They showed in qualifying they were no pushovers, beating both USA and Canada and drawing with Mexico in 2022. Keylor Navas is still a top goalkeeper at 35, and they should have too much quality for a New Zealand side without a win against good opposition in recent years.

Who's your favourite football pundit?