England’s chances of securing automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup in Brazil will be in the balance when they host Montenegro in their penultimate qualifying match on Friday.
Whereas victory at Wembley Stadium will preserve their place at the top of Group H ahead of next week’s final game at home to Poland, anything less could dash their hopes of qualifying automatically.
England go into the game a point ahead of Ukraine and Montenegro, but should Roy Hodgson’s men fail to win and the Ukrainians prevail at home to Poland, it is they who would take over at the summit.
With Ukraine completing their campaign away to perennial punching bags San Marino, who have lost all eight of their games, conceding 43 goals, such a scenario would almost certainly consign England to the play-offs, provided they were not pipped to second place by Montenegro.
An added source of concern for England is that, in their eight games to date, they have only managed to beat Moldova and San Marino, the pool’s two weakest teams.
Their last meeting with Montenegro, in Podgorica in March, ended in a 1-1 draw and striker Wayne Rooney has urged his team-mates not to get flustered if they are unable to make an early breakthrough on Friday.
