Sports Blog 02/09/2016: FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifier Preview – Slovakia vs England, Sunday 4th September 2016

It’s the first big test for Big Sam this Sunday, the bottom half of the table specialist turned national chief travelling to Slovakia for England’s World Cup qualifier at 5pm on ITV.

Being England manager is perhaps the least fun job in football: intense media scrutiny, an inept FA, the perpetual inability of the national side to become more than a sum of its parts and a hostile public are the small print lurking at the bottom of a rather generous contract. Sam Allardyce, a man who was effectively no-one’s first choice and is the polar opposite of an exciting or original appointment, is the latest brave fool to be handed the keys to Wembley, starting his tenure at the top by trying to get England to beat a side they couldn’t break down just 2 and a half months ago.



In terms of the squad, Allardyce hasn’t provided the media with any shocks, his only debutante call-ups being West Ham defender Michael Antonio and Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy. Man City reject Joe Hart will start thanks to an injury to Fraser Forster, while Luke Shaw, Theo Walcott, Phil Jagielka and Danny Drinkwater have all returned to the fold having been snubbed (or in Shaw’s case injured) for the Euros. Perhaps the biggest surprise came in Allardyce’s intention to play (still captain) Wayne Rooney, who heads into the qualifier at the same Super Mega PGM of 21-25 as Harry Kane and Daniel Sturridge, as no. 10 instead of the striker role Mourinho has promised the player domestically.

Like England Slovakia didn’t exactly set the world alight at the Euros, finishing 3rd in Group B before being humiliated by Germany in the last 16. One of the few highlights from their competition was Marek Hamsik, the Napoli midfielder going into Sunday’s game at a Super Mega PGM of 11-15.

England not-so-memorably failed to beat Slovakia in France over the summer, so it will be interesting to see if Allardyce has managed to instil a bit more backbone in the side in a very short space of time. Our traders at least think it should be an easy enough 3 points for Rooney and co., with Spreadex offering an England/Slovakia (h) Match Supremacy spread of 0.4-0.6 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.15-2.35, though of course post-Iceland any English confidence must be laden with caveats.