The Three Lions are joint leaders in Group E following their 2-0 Danny Welbeck-inspired victory over Switzerland on Matchday 1 of the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. That same day, Lithuania beat San Marino by the same score line. Tonight, England will be hoping to record a much bigger victory against La Serenissima.
Home supporters at Wembley will be looking to witness a flood of goals as the fixture offers a chance for Roy Hodgson’s men to make an early statement in Group E. Indeed, alongside Lithuania, the 1966 World Cup winners aren’t the only ones with three points ahead of Matchday 2. They are joined by third-placed Estonia who narrowly edged Slovenia 1-0.
And while Switzerland are expected to bounce back after starting their European Championship qualifying campaign on a bad note, the pressure is on Hodgson’s unconvincing team to make the most of each game.
For Wayne Rooney, the match could see him close the gap on Sir Bobby Charlton’s all-time goalscoring record of 49 strikes in 106 appearances. As of now, the Manchester United captain (41 goals in 97 caps) is fourth in the chart behind legends Gary Lineker (48 goals in 80 caps) and Jimmy Greaves (44 goals in 57 caps).
“I’m confident in myself and believe I will do it [smash Bobby Charlton’s record], but the game against San Marino is more important than me scoring four or five,” Rooney told the press on Wednesday.
Will San Marino suffer or will they manage to inflict shame on the hosts?
England's Starting XI: Hart, Chambers, Cahill, Jagielka, Gibbs, Henderson, Milner, Wilshere, Welbeck, Rooney, Sterling.
San Marino's Starting XI: Simoncini, Palazzi, Della Valle, Vitaioli, Buscarini, Coppini, Vitaioli, Cervellini, Tosi, Selva, Rinaldi.
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