12 Jun 2019
If Gareth Southgate needed to find a way to motivate his England side against weaker opposition, then he simply need to point to Scotland’s desperate 3-0 defeat at Kazakhstan last week.
While the Scots barely redeemed themselves with a stuttering 2-0 win against the world’s worst team San Marino (according to FIFA rankings), England made the perfect start to their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with a 5-0 romp over the Czech Republic on Friday night.
England can expect a completely different atmosphere to the joyous occasion at Wembley when they head to Podgorica. The last time they went there, in 2013, missiles were thrown onto the pitch and Ashley Cole was spat at. Two years earlier, Wayne Rooney reacted to provocation by being sent off and Montenegro were fined £30,000 following a pitch invasion.
The intimate 15,000 stadium means that England’s youngsters will face a cauldron of hostility from the Montenegro ‘Ultras’ and few will have sampled anything like it before. Only Kyle Walker remains from the squad that travelled there previously.
This could be a much more difficult game than the odds suggest for Gareth Southgate’s side. England are 4/11 to win on the Genting Casino European Championship football odds. Montegengro are 8/1 and the draw is on offer at 15/4.
Montenegro drew their opening qualifier 1-1 with Bulgaria.
England are familiar with Monday night’s opponents, who are ranked 46th in the world (England are fifth), having met them in qualification for the 2012 Euros and the 2014 World Cup.
In three of those four home and away matches, England drew three and won just once, a 4-1 victory at Wembley in 2013. But it’s a mark of the Montenegrins’ durability that they haven’t lost a match by more than two goals since 2015. It is 9/2 that England come away with a 2-0 victory.
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Southgate won’t name his starting line-up until he has checked on the fitness of Jordan Henderson, Jadon Sancho and Dele Alli, with the Tottenham man struggling with a hamstring problem. Eric Dier is an absentee, following a muscular injury he sustained 17 minutes into the clash with the Czechs on Friday.
That could lead to a first start for West Ham’s Declan Rice, who appeared as a sub in the 5-0 win against the Czechs on Friday. Rice is 15/2 to score at any time and he does pose an aerial threat at set pieces.
Raheem Sterling, who has scored 10 goals for club and country in his last seven starts, may well keep his place following his hat-trick against the Czechs. He is 11/8 to score at any time and 4/1 to score the first goal. Harry Kane is almost certain to lead the line again and is 4/5 to score at any time and 12/5 to score the first goal.
Michael Keane and Harry Maguire formed a confident centre-back pairing on Friday, while Kyle Walker and Ben Chilwell gave Southgate no reason to drop them bar rest. It is likely that James Ward-Prowse and Callum Wilson will likely feature in some capacity.
Jordan Pickford performed well in goal again and the Everton man is also likely to keep his place. The Genting Casino international football odds for England to keep a clean sheet against the Czech Republic are 7/10.
Montenegro will be without their star striker Stefan Jovetic, but they did well in Bulgaria, almost snatching a win, after the hosts salvaged a point with a penalty eight minutes from time.
MAXIMUM POINTS FOR ENGLAND?
This is something of a free hit for Montenegro, as England are expected to sail through qualification. Montegengo’s only home wins since the start of 2015 have come against Lithuania, Romania, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein, and they will likely not be too adventurous, relying on the break.
England struggled on their last two trips to Podgorica, drawing 2-2 (2011) and 1-1 (2013), but with the squad as a whole enjoying their football and showing a ruthless streak to go with their killer smiles, many will feel the Three Lions should be able to maintain their momentum.
England to win both halves is available at 15/8, while it is 11/4 for England to draw at half time but go on to win the game.
To check out all the odds for the big game, click here.
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