Odds stacked against Wales in Battle of Britain

The odds are heavily stacked against Wales reaching the last 16 ahead of their so-called Battle of Britain against England on Tuesday but if they are to fly home early they will want to do so with pride restored.

Wales have waited 64 long years to qualify for a World Cup but after conceding two goals to Iran deep into stoppage on Friday, it looks like being only a brief stay in the Middle East.

That late defeat left Wales crestfallen and at the bottom of group B and needing to beat England for only the 14th time in 104 meetings, a rivalry dating back to 1879.

Even a victory might not be enough to save Wales as they would also need the other remaining group match between Iran and the United States to end in a draw.

There is one other scenario, one which has never happened before, in which Wales must beat England by four goals, in which case they would go through to the last 16, whatever the result of the other game, at the expense of England.

While the complexities of the maths are head-spinning, Wales will just want to land a blow on their old rivals, snap a run of six consecutive defeats against them and claim a first win over England since 1984.

For that to happen they will require some magic from their talisman Gareth Bale, who scored an equalising penalty in the opening game against the U.S. but who was rather anonymous in the defeat by Iran.

The prospect of facing England may just spark something special from the 33-year-old former Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur player, who is most likely to be playing the last World Cup match of his career.

While England are in a far more comfortable position, leading the group, they went from being so-called world beaters to being booed by their own fans in the space of five days in Qatar -- thrashing Iran 6-2 before being largely outplayed by a youthful U.S. side in a 0-0 draw.

England forward Marcus Rashford said criticism of the team's performance in their draw against the United States is unjustified and that fans should withhold judgement until after their final group game against Wales.

After a thumping 6-2 win over Iran in their World Cup opener, England's level dropped drastically against the Americans and they were fortunate not to lose, although they remain in a strong position heading into today's clash.

"When you win a game, you are the best team in the world. When you lose, you are the worst. That's football. As players you have to keep a balance," Rashford, 25, told reporters.

"If we play well in the next game, that USA game will be forgotten. It's not a nice feeling. But to be honest we don't need fans to boo us to know we have not played well.

"It was a feeling that was mutual amongst the group -- that we could have done better. When you don't win it's disappointing but we can't be so negative about it," Rashford added.

England Manager Gareth Southgate began first two games with identical starting line-ups, but could well decide to make some tweaks against Wales with Manchester City's Jack Grealish in line for a start and perhaps an opportunity for striker Callum Wilson.

Only a four-goal defeat could send England crashing out, with bookmakers pricing that as a 400-1 shot, so there is an opportunity for Southgate to tinker with his line-up and perhaps even protect striker Harry Kane ahead of the last 16.

World Cup 2018 Golden Boot winner Kane is yet to score in the tournament and was subdued against the United States having recovered from an ankle injury sustained against Iran.