Prediction: England win
Best Odds: 1/1000
Bookmaker: 888sport
We’re edging towards the end of the current international break and a whole host of teams have already booked their place at next year’s FIFA World Cup. Of course, we still have plenty of places left to fill between now and next winter, and home nation England will attempt to book their ticket when they visit San Marino in a true David vs Goliath clash on the world stage.
San Marino
It’s all about survival for a San Marino side that defines what it means to be a “plucky underdog”. Their best bet in the majority of their fixtures at this level is to simply hold out and hope for the best, because they just can’t get anything moving in the final third. Perhaps one day they’ll begin to turn a corner but for now, their most likely avenue for success within the continent is Eurovision.
Team News
Tomassini has been ruled out through injury after coming off against Hungary. In his place, San Marino will turn to Luca Ceccaroli, in what could easily be described as one of the biggest games in their recent history.
England
England will be desperate to avoid any play-off drama and as a result of the gulf in quality between both sides, they should be able to do so relatively easily on Tuesday. Gareth Southgate knows how much pressure is on the shoulders of the Three Lions after what happened at Euro 2020 and there can be no complications when getting over the finish line for Qatar this week.
Team News
Sterling is out for this one due to personal reasons with a string of players being ruled out through injury, including the following: Henderson, Rashford, Ward-Prowse, Shaw, Grealish, Mount and Rice. Elsewhere, Gallagher may feature after his recent call-up with Ramsdale and Smith Rowe being tipped to start.
Factors to Consider
- In the reverse fixture back in March, England beat San Marino 5-0.
- England have won seven and drawn two in WC qualifying.
- San Marino have lost all nine of their games in WC qualifying.
- England have scored 29 goals in their WC qualifiers.
- San Marino have scored one goal in their nine WC qualifiers.
Conclusion
England are going to win this game of football and that much is obvious to anyone who has watched this sport for longer than 30 seconds. The big question is whether or not Gareth Southgate attempts to really lay down a marker or just ride out a comfortable win by four or five goals. In our view, this is going to heavily resemble what happened earlier this year with England winning 5-0.
Prediction: England win
Best Odds: 1/1000
Bookmaker: 888sport
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