Sports Blog 11/10/2016: Football Preview – 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, Tuesday 11th October 2016

Can England maintain their unbeaten, if uninspiring, World Cup qualifying run when they travel to Slovenia on ITV?

Gareth Southgate’s first game in charge by and large failed to end the Great Disintegration that has been the English national side’s showing in 2016. On one hand, a 2-0 victory (the 2nd clean sheet of their campaign) less than 2 weeks after their new manager had been dismissed due to corruption charges is nothing to be sniffed at. On the other hand, scoring only 2 goals against Malta, a side Scotland smashed 5-1 IN MALTA, is a pretty poor performance any way you slice it.



The main news from Saturday’s fixture, however, was the crowd’s reaction to Wayne Rooney, who was booed before and during the game. Another ineffective performance, admittedly in a position that Jose Mourinho stated he is not suited to before the season began, has meant every discussion post-game has revolved around Rooney.

That’s unlikely to change both before and after Tuesday’s trip to Slovenia given the news that the England captain, who still has a Super Mega PGM of 18-22, will start on the bench. The absence of his domestic teammate may give Marcus Rashford (at 24-29) the start he was denied on Saturday, while Theo Walcott (at 16-20) Daniel Sturridge (at 30-36 after scoring against Malta) and Jamie Vardy (at 24-29) are also in contention.

As for Slovenia, their campaign has already arguably been better than expected. A late 2-2 draw against Lithuania in September was followed up by a 1-0 win over Slovakia, the latter of which has done the latter’s attempt at qualification a big blow. Yet they shouldn’t be a match for this inchoate England side, with Spreadex offering an England/Slovakia (h) Goal Supremacy spread of 0.8-1 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.2-2.4.

With both sides chasing England in Group F, can Scotland surprise Slovakia on Sky Sports 2? Gordon Strachan’s confidence will have been high after Scotland’s thrashing of Malta. However Scotland could only squeak a 1-1 draw against Lithuania at the weekend, with James McArthur saving the side’s blushes in the 89th minute.



Yet they can take solace in the fact that their current form has been far better than Slovakia’s, who are still chasing their first qualifying win of the campaign. They may well get it, however, on Tuesday night, with Spreadex offering a Slovakia/Scotland Goal Supremacy spread of 0.25-0.45 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.1-2.3.

Finally, in what is likely to be the toughest tie in qualifying, can Northern Ireland pull off a miracle against Germany on Sky Sports 1? Michael O’Neill will likely be happy with his side’s showing in the qualifiers so far; a 0-0 draw in Prague is a respectable, while a 4-0 victory over San Marino, complete with a brace from Kyle Lafferty (who has a Super Mega PGM of 5-8) is par for the course.



However, on Tuesday night they face an unbeaten Germany. Joachim Loew’s men put 3 past Norway and the Czech Republic in their last 2 games, with Thomas Muller, who has a Super Mega PGM of 59-69, scoring 2 in both. That’s formidable form to come up against, and Northern Ireland may struggle, with Spreadex offering a Germany/Northern Ireland Goal Supremacy spread of 2.55-2.75 alongside a Total Goals spread of 3.2-3.4.