Gareth Southgate will be hoping to see his side secure qualification for Euro 2020 as England host Montenegro on Thursday night in what is the Three Lions’ 1000th game as a footballing nation.
England, bar one hiccup in Prague, have looked good in qualifying thus far – collecting 15 out of a possible 18 points.
The most recent break in October saw the Three Lions beaten by the Czech Republic 2-1 in what was a woeful display before they breezed past Bulgaria in a 6-0 victory, a game that grabbed the headlines for what was going on in the stands rather than on the pitch.
Thursday’s opponents Montenegro have endured a dismal qualifying campaign up to this point. Injuries to key men throughout the campaign, namely Stevan Jovetic and Stefan Savic, haven’t helped and so far they’ve failed to win any of their seven games in qualification.
Here’s 90min’s preview of the upcoming clash.
Where to Watch
| When Is Kick Off? | Thursday 14 November |
| What Time Is Kick Off? | 19:45 (BST) |
| Where Is it Played? | Wembley Stadium |
| TV Channel/Live Stream | ITV1 |
| Referee | Antonio Mateu Lahoz |
Team News
Raheem Sterling will miss the upcoming fixture after being involved in an altercation with Liverpool defender Joe Gomez at St. George’s Park after events that occurred at Anfield on Sunday.
Sterling’s absence will likely see Marcus Rashford join Harry Kane
John Stones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Ross Barkley has been ruled out due to injury but has not been replaced, while Sheffield United’s Dean Henderson has come in for the injured Tom Heaton.
Predicted Lineups
| England | Pickford; Trippier, Maguire, Mings, Chilwell; Rice, Winks, Maddison; Sancho, Kane, Rashford. |
| Montenegro | Petkovic; Vesovic, Simic, Kopitovic, Bulatovic; Vukcevic, Lagator; Boljevic, Kojasevic, Jovovic; Mugosa. |
Head to Head Record
England have faced Montenegro five times in their history, with a less than stellar record against the small Balkan nation.
The Three Lions have only beaten Montenegro twice since the side gained membership to FIFA and UEFA in 2007. The other three games ended in draws.
However, Southgate’s side won the reverse fixture earlier on in qualification comfortably, winning 5-1 in Podgorica.
Recent Form
The October break saw England beaten for the first time in qualifying as they succumbed to a disappointing 2-1 defeat in the Czech Republic. However, they bounced back superbly well to thrash Bulgaria in a toxic environment a couple of days later.
That result in Sofia means that England could book their place at next year’s European Championships with at least a point on Thursday, before their trip to Kosovo on Sunday.
Montenegro will be looking to put their woeful qualifying campaign behind them and try to become just the second side to beat England at Wembley since 2016 – Spain being the only side to do so.
Hadzibegic’s side have picked up three draws thus far, leaving them second-bottom in Group A. Their only victory in 2019 came in a 2-1 win over Hungary in a September friendly.
Here’s how these two have fared in their last five outings.
| England | Montenegro |
| Bulgaria 0-6 England (14/10) | Kosovo 2-0 Montenegro (14/10) |
| Czech Republic 2-1 England (11/10) | Montenegro 0-0 Bulgaria (11/10) |
| England 5-3 Kosovo (10/9) | Montenegro 0-3 Czech Republic (10/9) |
| England 4-0 Bulgaria (7/9) | Montenegro 2-1 Hungary (5/9) |
| Switzerland 0-0 England (4-5 on Pens) (9/6) | Czech Republic 3-0 Montenegro (10/6) |
Prediction
England should steamroll through against an injury-plagued Montenegro side on Thursday.
The visitors are without three of their more experienced and better defenders, while Jovetic is still out – leaving them with depleted firepower going forward.
The hosts were great to watch in spells in Bulgaria while they looked improved defensively with Tyrone Mings and Ben Chilwell coming into the fold. Expect something similar to play out at Wembley in what should be a special occasion for England’s 1000th game.
Overall, it’d be surprising to see nothing short of a Three Lions mauling in this one.
Prediction: England 5-0 Montenegro
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