Group A leaders England will be hoping to build on their terrific start to Euro 2020 qualification when they travel to Montenegro on Monday. The Three Lions got their campaign off to a superb start with a 5-0 win over the Czech Republic on Friday. Their opponents only managed a 1-1 draw in Bulgaria, but Montenegro have provided England with a few awkward tests in recent years.
Montenegro v England Preview
Confident Three Lions
England’s players will be brimming with confidence after the impressive nature of their opening qualifier. Gareth Southgate’s side brushed aside the Czech Republic and played some exhilarating football at times. The days of people labelling the Three Lions as ‘boring’ seem to be over. Nowadays the team is brimming with pacy, creative players. One of those is Raheem Sterling. The mercurial winger netted his maiden international hat-trick on Friday night in one of his finest displays in an England shirt. His link-up play with Jadon Sancho was a thorn in the side of the Czechs, and England fans can expect more of the same with the pair expected to start in Montenegro.
Potential Midfield Reshuffle
Eric Dier has been ruled out of this contest after sustaining a muscular injury on Friday night. The Spurs midfielder started alongside Jordan Henderson and Dele Alli but was replaced by Ross Barkley after just 16 minutes. Henderson then played in the holding role, giving Barkley and Alli more license to go forward. In particular, the Chelsea midfielder was very impressive, carrying the ball and providing attacking drive from midfield. Southgate should start Barkley alongside Alli, with either Henderson or Declan Rice sitting slightly deeper. In matches like this, there isn’t a need to start two slightly more defensive midfielders.
Dier has become the seventh player to fall victim to injury in Southgate’s squad. He joins Marcus Rashford, John Stones, Luke Shaw, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabian Delph and Ruben Loftus-Cheek on the long list of absentees.
Awkward Montenegro
Montenegro have provided tough opposition for England in the past. In their four meetings since they declared independence from Serbia, the Eastern European side have only lost once. The Three Lions’ two trips to Podgorica have both ended in draws, with a 2-2 scoreline in 2011 and a 1-1 stalemate in 2013. However, when the two teams last locked horns in World Cup 2014 qualification, England ran out 4-1 winners at Wembley.
England will still be expected to beat the Brave Falcons, who are ranked 46th in the world. That’s two places behind the Czech Republic. Montenegro will be without talisman Stevan Jovetic through injury. The former Manchester City striker leads the nation’s all-time scoring charts with 24 goals. Ljubiša Tumbaković’s men could also be missing Stefan Savic, who has a hamstring injury. He sat out the 1-1 draw in Bulgaria, but he could be back for the clash with England.
Prediction
Montenegro have been tricky opponents in the last few years, but this England team is a different proposition to the last team that faced the Brave Falcons back in 2013. Despite their injury woes, Southgate’s men should have enough quality to have a relatively comfortable night in Eastern Europe.
Prediction: Montenegro 0-2 England
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