How to watch San Marino vs England: TV channel, kick-off time and live stream for World Cup 2022 qualifier
England can clinch their spot at Qatar 2022 on Monday night if they avoid a heavy defeat against minnows San Marino.
The Three Lions are three points clear of Poland at the top of Group I with a far superior goal difference of +26 compared to +20 heading into their final World Cup qualifier.
Crystal Palace youngster Conor Gallagher could make his debut after being called up to the squad following a raft of injuries, while Harry Kane will be hoping to move further up the list of England’s all-time top scorers after pulling level with Jimmy Greaves on 44 goals following his hat-trick against Albania on Friday night.
The game will be played at San Marino Stadium which has a capacity of just over 6,500.
Given that England have won all seven of their games against San Marino with an aggregate scoreline of 42-1, Gareth Southgate was never likely to field his strongest side on Monday evening.
With Jordan Henderson, Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw all withdrawing from the squad on Sunday, however, Southgate has been left with little choice but to rotate.
Southgate has confirmed that he intends to experiment with his line-up. “We will make changes, definitely,” he said after the Three Lions’ 5-0 winagainst Albania on Friday.
“We will make quite a few changes, but what we’ve done well in the past is sustain good performances even with those changes.”
Following his excellent form for Arsenal in recent weeks, this would be a good opportunity to start AaronRamsdale in goal. He has certainly done enough to merit his first senior cap, though this fixture isn’t exactly set up to showcase the talents of the England goalkeeper.
Having fielded Kyle Walker, John Stones and Harry Maguire as his back three against Albania, Southgate is likely to swap two out of three and give Conor Coady and Tyrone Mings a turn.
If Southgate opts to stick with wing-backs, they will be expected to play the vast majority of the match in San Marino’s final third.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is the obvious choice at right wing-back, while Chilwell will have to start on the opposite flank in the absence of Shaw.
Jude Bellingham should get a run out in the middle of the park, though he could do with a more experienced partner to help him maintain the tempo. Given his limited options, Southgate may start Kalvin Phillips once again before reshuffling to accommodate Gallagher as the game wears on.
Arsenal have had great success with Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka on opposite flanks recently, so Southgate has the perfect chance to cosplay as Mikel Arteta for the day.
That leaves Tammy Abraham to start up front, with Foden and Kane as options from the bench.
England’s top 10 goalscorers of all-time
Wayne Rooney: 53 goals, 120 caps
Bobby Charlton: 49 goals, 106 caps
Gary Lineker: 48 goals, 80 caps
Jimmy Greaves: 44 goals, 57 caps
Harry Kane: 44 goals, 66 caps
Michael Owen: 40 goals, 89 caps
Nat Lofthouse: 30 goals, 33 caps
Alan Shearer: 30 goals, 63 caps
Tom Finney: 30 goals, 76 caps
Vivian Woodward: 23 goals, 29 caps
While Tottenham might prefer to see Kane rested against San Marino, he will be keen to continue his quest to become England’s all-time top goalscorer. He only needs 10 goals to surpass Wayne Rooney’s record and he will fancy his chances of reducing that deficit further even if he plays a supporting role.
England’s predicted line-up to face San Marino
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3ceka4P
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