England Play San Marino With Goals Anticipated

England face the joint-worst international team currently playing football, San Marino on Thursday (9th October) in their second Euro 2016 qualification tie of the campaign. Roy Hodgson`s men will be looking to secure two wins on the bounce after defeating automatic qualification rivals Switzerland in Basel a month ago. Two second-half goals for in-form Arsenal man Danny Welbeck sees the Three Lions sit second in Group E, sharing goal difference with top side Lithuania who scooped two past the Wembley visitors. The fifth international goal for Deivydas Matulevicius five minutes in was topped off by an on-target effort from former Scotland resident Arvydas Novikovas to seal the game for the Baltic side in a match they would have undoubtedly liked to have won by more. Elsewhere in Group E on Thursday, Igoris Pankratjevas` Lithuania host Estonia in their capital of Vilnius whilst Switzerland travel to Slovenia.

Unfortunately for backers of the home nation, a win for the team currently ranked 18th by FIFA is priced at 1/100 with the majority of bookmakers. Anti-England tipsters can find an unlikely draw at 104/1 on the betfair Exchange whilst an even more unlikely San Marino win is 474/1 (betfair Exchange). Such an away victory is deemed improbable as the Sammarinese team are notoriously poor in front of goal. Alessandro Della Valle scored the team`s first competitive goal for five years in a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Poland in their World Cup 2014 qualification match last year. Pierangelo Manzaroli`s team have failed to hit the back of the net since. A defender (and an employee at a ceramics retailer) by trade, Della Valle is now 32 years old and missed the blue-whites` previous clash through injury. The Sant` Ermete Sanvitese centre-back is still a doubt for the country`s biggest game of the qualification stages. ladbrokes are offering odds of 6/1 on any Sammarinese player hitting a goal past Joe Hart during the 90 minutes.

The two sides met twice last year in qualification for the 2014 World Cup. Both Switzerland hero Welbeck and current England captain Wayne Rooney grabbed braces in their 5-0 home win with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also finding his name on the scoresheet. Away from home, England slotted eight past San Marino without reply, Della Valle opening the scoring after turning an opportunity past his own goal-keeper, Aldo Simoncini. Again, The Ox and Rooney were successful in netting, whilst Jermain Defoe was the only player to score twice. Having joined Toronto FC in the MLS, Defoe failed to make Hodgson`s 21 man squad this time around.

The mind of the former Liverpool manager is, however, on goals with the 67 year old setting his squad a target of scoring at least 14 in the two games against San Marino in this campaign.

`We scored 13 goals against San Marino last time and if we can get 14 more goals over the two games, we will.` Hodgson told a press conference.

Rickie Lambert, Rooney and Welbeck are the only forwards registered in the Londoner`s squad though shouldn`t have to work too hard to snatch a couple of goals each. Both Betvictor and paddy Power have Manchester United man Rooney as the 4/5 favourite to earn a brace that would see him one goal away from tying Jimmy Greaves` goal-scoring record for his country (44). Welbeck is evens (Betvictor, ladbrokes) to make it four goals from his last two internationals, whilst Lambert, who may well be employed as a substitute, is 13/8 (Betvictor).

Young defender John Stones has been replaced by Arsenal`s Calum Chambers in the only piece of injury news for the home side. The 20-year-old Everton centre-back was stretchered off after suffering an ankle knock in the Merseyside club`s 2-1 defeat against Manchester United.

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07/10/2014     © Frixo 2026