Any complacency will surely kill a depleted English side that needs to beat Moldova in order to return to the top of their World Cup qualification group

England's national team will host Moldova in a European World Cup qualifier on Friday, September 6, 2013.Despite being more or less average throughout the qualification campaign, England should consider themselves really lucky that they still have a chance to pip Montenegro to first spot in Group H of the UEFA World Cup Qualification stage.

Had Montenegro been more adventurous and consistent in their displays, they could have had consolidated their place at the top of the table. As things stand, Roy Hodgson’s men trail Branko Brnovic’s side by just two points and have a game in hand. Should they be able to beat Moldova at the Wembley on September 6, The Three Lions will get one step closer towards securing an automatic place in next year’s World Cup in Brazil.

 

Though they have been average against the likes of Poland, Montenegro and Ukraine during qualifiers, England have enough about them to not to make a mess of things when they face Moldova who they hammered 5-0 in the reverse fixture. On that night, Moldova could have conceded even more had the visitors been more ruthless in front of goal. Playing in Wembley will definitely be a huge task for a side whose greatest ever win was a 3-2 win over Wales way back in 1996 Euro qualifiers.

Players who could prove to be a source of nuisance

19-year-old Catalin Carp is an unknown quantity but has a lot of talent that has been used well by Ukrainian giants, Dynamo Kiev. The young playmaker is lively and full of tricks which could make things a little bit difficult for the hosts. Alex Epureanu who plies his trade in the Russian Premier League side Anzhi, is an experienced player who will be looking to make sure that the team’s defensive frailties are not exposed like they were a year back.

The aforementioned players can make things a little more exciting but one has to say that England are in for an easy outing.

Injury concerns

Wayne Rooney, Phil Jones and Glen Johnson all pulled out of the squad for the qualification games. Hodgson has replaced the trio with Andros Townsend, Ross Barkley and Raheem Sterling which means that the Three Lions will have quite a few inexperienced players in the squad which could make things complicated. However, the aforementioned players have already showcased their enormous talent and this game could be a chance for them to show the manager their worth.

A routine win before the big test

The game against Moldova might not be a defining moment for England’s qualification campaign but a good win is definitely the right way to go about things ahead of the big game against Ukraine on Tuesday. If they manage to win both games, England will finish top of Group H which will then make the final game against Montenegro a mere formality.

Consistency of paramount importance

With just three games left in the campaign, Roy Hodgson must be aware of the fact that the national team cannot afford to slip up further. With a game in hand, it is clearly advantage England who simply hold their fate in their own hands.