England will look to maintain their 100 per cent start to World Cup 2022 qualifying when they host Andorra on home soil at Wembley on Sunday.
Gareth Southgate’s side will return to the national stadium for the first time since their penalty-shootout defeat to Italy in the final of Euro 2020.
England’s clash is one of several European qualifiers on Sunday, with a focus also on Wales’ clash in Belarus and Switzerland’s meeting with Italy.
Sunday’s Fixture a Chance to Impress
After Thursday’s 4-0 win over Hungary, Southgate is set to shuffle the pack throughout his team.
Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho will miss the next two qualifiers, with Poland also to come on Wednesday, due to a “minor knock”. The 23-year-old has returned to Manchester United, but he is thought to be Southgate’s only selection headache.
Jordan Henderson, Bukayo Saka, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Kieran Trippier are all hoping to come back into the fold, while Patrick Bamford may make his international debut in place of Harry Kane.
Jesse Lingard and Jude Bellingham are others who are fighting to start as England look to extend their four-match winning run against Andorra. They have won all four meetings between the pair by an aggregate score of 16-0, and over 4.5 goals in this Group I clash appeals at 5/9.
Improved Wales to Sneak Past Belarus
Wales travel to Belarus knowing they need a victory in order to keep the pressure on second-placed Czech Republic in Group E.
Robert Page’s side are tied with Belarus on three points, but they have played one match less than Sunday’s opponents.
The Czechs are four points further ahead, and a win would ease the pressure on Gareth Bale and co. The Real Madrid ace should recover from a knock to feature, while Joe Allen and Dan James are set to be recalled to the starting XI after being rested in the midweek goalless draw against Finland.
Just another average training session @GarethBale11
#TogetherStronger pic.twitter.com/DnxBVkIOOT
— Wales
(@Cymru) September 3, 2021
Wales won the last meeting between the pair 1-0, while they have won four of their five matches against Belarus in all competitions.
An away win catches the eye at 5/8, while a 1-0 scoreline is available at 9/2.
Expect Italy to Return to Winning Ways
Roberto Mancini’s side were held to a surprise 1-1 draw by Bulgaria in the week, but the Azzurri still maintained their national record of 35 matches unbeaten.
Switzerland will be doing all they can to ruin that incredible record, but Murat Yakin should be without his best two players for the Group C affair.
Xherdan Shaqiri is injured, while captain Granit Xhaka is isolating after testing positive for Covid-19.
Mancini may rotate his players due to the congested fixture list, but they should have too much quality for Switzerland. An away win looks the way to go at 21/20, especially when considering they beat the Swiss 3-0 at Euro 2020.
*All odds correct at time of writing.
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