In one of the biggest David vs. Goliath matchups in Euro qualifying, England welcomes San Marino to Wembley Stadium in hopes of beating up on the weaker team Thursday. San Marino currently ranks at the very bottom of the FIFA World Rankings. Only two of the players on the roster actually play soccer for a living. The team was forced to ask retired striker Andy Selva to come fill a roster spot as the team prepares to face England who has not lost a qualifying match since 2009.
England has plenty of momentum. The Three Lions have won 13 games while drawing seven of their last 20 matches since that 1-0 loss to the Ukraine. They also have not lost a match a Wembley since 2007 when they fell to Croatia. Since their terrible performance in the World Cup over the summer Roy Hodgson's team is hoping for a strong showing in qualifying to put some hope back in the England faithful.
Hodgson told media that there is no concerns in regards to injuries. Fabian Delph sat out of practice, but will be fine to play. John Stones will be out after suffering an ankle injury, but James Milner will fill in which could give England another attacking option. Danny Welbeck will get the start alongside Wayne Rooney and Raheem Sterling as Hodgson decides between Calum Chambers or Nathaniel Clyne on the defense.
San Marino has won just one match in 25 years according to BBC Sport. The team's goalie Aldo Simoncini gives up an average of 4.4 goals per game so this match is expected to be extremely one-sided in favor of England. The team will likely try and play a deep set in order to prevent as much scoring as possible given the overall weakness of the roster and the number of strikers from the Three Lions. Flooding the box might be the only chance they really stand.
England will be attempting a few new setups against San Marino. They are trying a new diamond model similar to the style of Liverpool. The team has looked defensively strong in qualifiers, so they are hoping this new system helps them up the scoring on offense.
