With 2 qualifiers to go, can England secure their place in the 2018 World Cup with Wembley win over Slovenia, at 7.45pm on ITV?

Atop Group F on 20 points, 5 ahead of 2nd place Slovakia, England already have one foot in Russia, and will likely be able to book their tickets to next year’s competition following this evening’s game. The question, then, isn’t really whether Gareth Southgate’s side will reach the 2018 tournament, but what kind of state they’ll be in when they get there?



Though they have – so far – gone through another qualifying campaign without losing a game, nearly all of England’s wins have had a dreariness to them that is quickly becoming the country’s trademark. For example, a 4-0 victory over Malta looks good(ish) on paper, but consider that all of those goals came in the 2nd half – and 2 in the final 2 minutes of injury time – and you can start to see how an easy qualifying group has arguably left England unprepared for the big time once again.

At least Harry Kane is heading into Thursday night with a full head of steam. While he suffered yet another goalless start to the season, failing to find the back of the net at all in August, in September he was superb. The24-year old nabbed 6 in the Premier League, 5 in the Champions League and a brace in England’s trip to Malta. Kane should, hopefully, bring that form into October, and sits at a Super Mega PGM of 69-79, ahead of Marcus Rashford at 29-35 and Raheem Sterling at 21-25.

Granted, England shouldn’t be too dismissive of their visitors – after all, they failed to beat them in Slovenia, instead posting a deathly dull 0-0 draw. Srecko Katanec’s side also still have plenty to play for, and could leapfrog into 2nd place if they win and the Scotland/Slovakia tie ends in stalemate. Still, the hosts are heavily favoured, at an England/Slovenia Goal Supremacy spread of 1.45-1.65 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.6-2.8.

In a rare sight, Scotland will be praying for an English win while they try and take all 3 points off Slovakia, at 7.45pm on Sky Sports Main Event. The 2016 halve of qualifying was pretty damn dreadful for Scotland, with the country picking up a win against Malta, a draw against Lithuania and not much else; in 2017, however, they’ve vastly improved, getting 10 points from a possible 12, including that unlucky draw against England.



They need to maintain that kind of form if they are to stand a chance of reaching Russia, which might be tricky against a Slovakian side that beat them 3-0 almost 12 months ago. Yet Gordon Strachan’s men are steelier than they were this time last year, and sit at a Scotland/Slovakia Goal Supremacy spread of 0.15-0.35 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.1-2.3.

Finally, can Northern Ireland – already at least guaranteed 2nd place in Group C – claim the biggest scalp in their history when they host Germany, at 7.45pm on Sky Sports Football? While a win over the world champions would be the thing of dreams, realistically Michael O’Neill will be more focused on avoiding the kind of defeat that could affect their play-off seeding.



Last time they faced the Germans – who are one of only 2 sides to have won all their games, the other being Switzerland – Northern Ireland came away with a respectable 2-0 away loss. One imagines O’Neill would take a similar result this time around, especially since Spreadex are offering a Germany/Northern Ireland (h) Goal Supremacy spread of 1.5-1.7 with a Total Goals spread of 2.8-3.