With England’s final qualifier being played this evening against Poland, Roy Hodgson’s team will be hoping for a comfortable win to see them through to the World Cup. Although England have a history of World Cup misfires, they are currently sitting at the top of Group H alongside the Ukraine (both have won 5 of their 9 games).
However, England need to win this game to gain automatic qualification – either a draw or a loss could leave England at risk of not qualifying at all, as they would be forced into the playoffs for the final qualification spot in Group H. With up-and-coming contenders such as Montenegro and Poland, England will certainly be looking to avoid any ambiguity and come out with a strong win.
In their last match, England drew 1-1 with rivals Poland, and since then have picked up a few injuries, leaving their team at less than full strength. Fans will be hoping that home support at the spectacular Wembley Stadium will be enough to spur England to a convincing victory.
If England don’t manage to qualify, they run the risk of facing France, arguably one of the stronger teams in the competition with players such as Didier Deschamps, Clement Grenier and Tottenham’s star goalkeeper Hugo Lloris between the posts.
Overall, England will have to focus on inventive attacking play and combat the urge to play conservatively (something Hodgson has previously been criticised for). With the fans behind them and memories of previous losses to Poland still stinging the mind of the players, hopefully the time is again right for England to take the World Cup by storm.
English victory will mean that their next match will be played in Brazil. Latin Routes are offering World Cup packages for those who already have tickets – Contact Us to have a chat about hotels, flights and things to do in Rio de Janeiro.
Keep up with us on social media for updates on the World Cup and more South American news, events and offers. Find us on Facebook, or Follow us on Twitter, Google+ and WordPress!
Leave a Reply