Photo: Wembley National Stadium Ltd
England will face Moldova on 6 September and Ukraine on 10 September in World Cup Qualifiers. Roy Hodgson added Barkley (Everton), Townsend (Tottenham) and Sterling to the squad due to serious injury issues.
The next two World Cup Qualifiers will be the most crucial in recent history England. England is two points behind Montenegro in group H with a game in hand, but also only one point ahead of the third place.
However, England faces serious injury issues. The timing couldn’t be worse, but Roy Hodgson and his team have been hit hard with several injuries over the last couple days. England will be without keeper Ben Forster (West Brom), Glen Johnson (Liverpool) and Phil Jones (Manchester United). All suffered ankle injuries on the weekend. Wayne Rooney will also miss out on the World Cup Qualifiers after suffering a head injury in training. Daniel Sturridge is also in doubts and most likely to miss the crucial matches..
However, Celtic goalie Fraser Forster will replace Ben Forster and Rickie Lambert remained in the squad after his stunning debut goal. Hodgson also called up youngsters such as Ross Barkley, Andros Townsend and Raheem Sterling for the crucial matches. He belives in them and said: “We want to win. Players like Barkley, Townsend and Sterling can make a difference.”
England vs Moldova on Friday, 6 September
The first test for England is expected to be a comfortable win despite the current injury crisis Hodgson faces. England will host Moldova at Wembley on 6 September. Moldova is second to last in Group H with 1 win and 2 draw in seven matches. Only San Marino has done worse. However, despite being an easy 3 points on paper, Moldova is under pressure and shouldn’t be underestimated.
Ukraine vs England on Tuesday, 10 September
The real task England will face over the next week will be on Tuesday, September 10th. England will face Ukraine – a side who have performed strong in the group and are just one point behind England. It is Ukraine along with Montenegro who will be putting the pressure on England and may cause a huge upset and embarrassment by preventing Hodgson’s side from next year’s World Cup qualification.
