England can guarantee themselves a top two spot and expedite their qualification to next year’s World Cup at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday as they face Hungary. Victory for the Three LIons will mean they are assured of at least a playoff but Gareth Southgate will want more than that and will expect his side to continue their unbeaten run through Group I.
Visitors Hungary are five points off second placed Albania and four behind Poland in third. To have any chance of reaching the qualifiers Marco Rossi’s side will surely need to take maximum points from their remaining games, trips to London and Warsaw either side of a game against San Marino. Here is how you can watch the match and everything you need to know:
Viewing information
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 12 | Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
Location: Wembley Stadium — London
Live stream: ESPN +
Odds: England -900; Draw +700; Hungary +2500 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
England: Southgate is expected to almost entirely rotate the side that beat Andorra in the opening qualifier but there are those who will have made a convincing case for further opportunities, not least Phil Foden, who excelled in pulling the strings from a deeper position. Certainly the Manchester City midfielder has the versatility to fill a number of his roles — his national team boss views him as “a seven, 11, ten or eight” — but what that might mean for Mason Mount, another versatile midfielder who is popular with Southgate, is another question indeed.
Ultimately those are the sorts of questions the England boss will relish over the coming months. With just over a year to go to Qatar, Southgate’s priority will surely be to get qualification wrapped up swiftly so that he can use the year’s remaining games and next summer’s Nations League to experiment with his approach in a competitive environment.
Hungary: In all likelihood Hungary’s hopes of ending their 36 year wait for a World Cup berth vanished when Armando Broja struck to earn Albania a 1-0 win in Budapest last week. There are just too many points for them to make up and too little time to do so in. Such circumstances inevitably mean pressure on Rossi’s job but the Italian is not prepared to call it quits if his side lose at Wembley.
“In a coach’s job, if the results don’t come he has two options: either give up and leave or keep fighting,” he said. “I’ve never been the type to give up and I don’t want to start that tomorrow night either. I will fight to find our way back.”
Prediction
England are a winning machine in qualifying matches; a Hungary side with little to play for are unlikely to stop them. PICK: England 3 Hungary 0