Friday's World Cup Qualifiers

Macedonia v Wales (18:00)
Scotland v Belgium (20:00)
Germany v Austria (19:45)
Republic of Ireland v Sweden (19:45)
Northern Ireland v Portugal (19:45)
Poland v Montenegro (19:45)
England v Moldova (20:00)

In Group A, Scotland and Wales are largely playing for pride. Scotland will be hoping to build on any positive foundations set during last month's friendly against England, whilst Wales can distance themselves from the bottom with a good result away to Macedonia.

Group C is very tight at the moment, with 3 teams, including the Republic of Ireland and Sweden, tied on 11 points for second place. Victory for Ireland tonight would really open up their World Cup aspirations, as would Germany beating Austria.

As for England, they are 2 points off top spot with a game in hand over leaders Montenegro. Tonight should be a cakewalk for England, against lowly Moldova. Of more potential interest is the Poland-Montenegro game - if Poland can hold or even beat Montenegro tonight, the path to the World Cup really opens up for England, and the pressure would be eased for Tuesday's more testing game away to Ukraine. Roy Hodgson has rejected pessimism, and believes that England really can do the nation proud over the course of the next 10 months. He's also taken the rather unusual step of already naming the England team for tonight.

England team for tonight:

Hart, Walker, Jagielka, Cahill, Cole, Gerrard, Wilshere, Lampard, Walcott, Welbeck, and Lambert.

Thats not actually a bad team considering the injuries.  Is Wilshere actually fit now?

If this game and Ukraine on Tuesday are not being stressed as a must win I'd like to add that Ukraine play San Marino twice in their last four.

As a Welsh fan these last games are massive even though we can't qualify. Good results will see us get a better seeding for the euro qualifiers and finally give us some sort of chance of qualifying. If we can get 7 points from Macedonia/Serbia/Belgium then it would be a massive achievement, although a draw in Belgium is allot to ask, we've drawn in Germany before with a weaker side.

My team tonight would be:

Myhill

Mathews Gabbidon Williams Davies

Ramsey Ledley

Bale Joniesta Bellamy

Vokes

Poor old Collison doesnt even make the side. Surely Collins is better than Gabbidon too?!

CFCNick wrote:If this game and Ukraine on Tuesday are not being stressed as a must win I'd like to add that Ukraine play San Marino twice in their last four.

Ukraine on Tuesday is surely the last difficult hurdle. We will be able to beat Montenegro and Poland at home.

A draw will do on Tuesday, but I think we'll go one better than that.

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:Poor old Collison doesnt even make the side. Surely Collins is better than Gabbidon too?!

Collinson is average, we have better players to use. Plus Collins is injured so can't play and tbh, Gabbidon has been superb this season for Palace. Always been a class act as a defender. Always remember his performance at OT vs England where he basically stopped a stuffing all by himself.

Bale on the bench for Wales. Right call, bring him on for the last 20 then hopefully start him vs Serbia. Glad Coleman hasn't been tempted to throw him straight in after no football.

Wales team: Myhill, Gunter Ricketts Williams Davies, Ledley Vaughan Collison, Ramsey Joniesta Bellamy

Strange side, trying to work out where the players in midfield will play, maybe:

Ramsey Vaughan
Collison
Williams Bellamy Ledley

Puts Bale on the bench. Doesn't bring him on. Coleman.  

Welbeck out of Ukraine.

Blessing that I think. Apart from the goal at the end been pretty anonymous against poor opposition. Not good enough in my opinion.

Routine for England. Annoyed with Welbeck's yellow and suspension though.

Georgia 0-0 France at the moment.
Estonia 2-1 Netherlands at the moment.

Will the people that love to criticise England, criticise those 2 if it stays the same way?

Are either France or Holland winning the WC though? Both have to be in the 2nd tier akin to England. It's between 2 or 3 nations realistically with 2 others in with a possible shout on their day (Spain/Germany/Brazil - Italy/Argentina)

Crimey wrote:Welbeck out of Ukraine.

Blessing that I think. Apart from the goal at the end been pretty anonymous against poor opposition. Not good enough in my opinion.

#headsgone

Ireland play long ball to Robbie Keane and Shane Long. Never understood that

As a welsh fan i'm depressed by that result. Macedonia were there for the taking and we just weren't positive enough. Can only assume Bale had picked up a knock in training. The team selection was odd by Coleman and his subs even more strange. I'm still not convinced he's the right man, we played well in patches but just seem to pass the ball for the sake of it. We were making unbelievable progress under Speed, should have just stuck with Verhjin his assistant to carry on his good work.

Jon Walters for Simon Cox is the change. I weep for Irish fans, I really do. Trap doesn't have a clue

Pilks and his wonderful beard are finally on to offer some width

My god Marc Wilson is shocking. Two simple 5 yard passes in a row, straight past the player to the Swedish. Non league

I really don't get Ireland's tactics, they play long ball to small forwards, and can barely string two passes together with Whelan in midfield.

Never looked like breaking down Sweden once they went 2-1 behind. Showed no signs of doing anything to create a chance bar aimless long balls. Baffling

Wales U21's lose to San Marino U21's. Future's bright

I wish England wouldn't insist on using Milner as a winger. I don't mind him being selected but think he makes a much better central midfielder rather than a winger, doesn't have the pace to be a positive attacking threat, decent ball on him but think he'd be better off in central midfield, think he could do quite well where Lampard played today, in between Gerrard and Wilshere, box to box. As a winger I don't think he offers England enough.

Looks like Lambert might start against Ukraine, taken off before the end which would suggest he is going to play a part. Surprised as I thought Sturridge might start but can't say it'd be a bad decision, Lambert has looked good and creative today, not sure if he's the man to get England goals. Despite his size, he's more of a Rooney-player than a Michael Owen. 

Expecting:

Hart

Walker
Jagielka
Cahill
Cole

Gerrard
Carrick
Wilshere

Walcott
Lambert
Milner

I thought Sturridge was out of both games?

I agree with that side Crimey, that's what I'm expecting to see. Roy's going for a dour 1-0 win, keep it nice and tight, picking them off on the counter.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a Cole/Baines left hand side, which imo wouldn't be a bad option with Baines's attacking ability.

Routine for England. Comfortable, and job done. Top of the league with a game in hand as Poland-Montenegro finished 1-1 tonight, so a win for England in Kiev and it's job done in getting to Brazil (mostly).

According to some people's logic on here, squeaking past Scotland 3-2 in a meaningless friendly means you won't win the World Cup. Taking that forward to tonight, France, Portugal, and the Netherlands won't be winning the World Cup next summer. Complete twaddle of course.

I'm expecting the same XI for Tuesday as the one Crimey posted, but I would rather have Lampard in for Carrick. Although, Hodgson may feel England are vulnerable at right-back with Kyle Walker there, so he may put Milner on the right, Young on the left, and leave Walcott and Lambert fighting it out for the centre forward spot.

Olly wrote:Wales U21's lose to San Marino U21's. Future's bright

Oh. My. Days.    

How on earth can that happen?

Like it can be much worse than it already is. At least our best players are still fairly young so we don't have to worry about it for a few years yet.

The fact our manager is a clown is a much more pressing concern.

JDizzle wrote:The fact our manager is a clown is a much more pressing concern.

A clown? #headsgone

Olly wrote:

JDizzle wrote:The fact our manager is a clown is a much more pressing concern.

A clown? #headsgone

You rate Chris Coleman?!

JDizzle wrote:

Olly wrote:

JDizzle wrote:The fact our manager is a clown is a much more pressing concern.

A clown? #headsgone

You rate Chris Coleman?!

Thought you meant Woy

I don't rate Chris Coleman, although he's managed to pull Charlotte Jackson is impressive

were all over Sweden until they made it 1-1.

Shame, thats our chances gone now.

Long, majority of the time wins his headers.

Why the hell did he not put Keane in totaly unmarked for an easy tap in.
Would still be in with a chane.
Olly, thought Wilson did ok tonight, aprt from a cople of bad passes.
Should have brought Hoolahan on.
WTF is with Pilkington's facial hair.
Good to see the legend there tonight watching.
Hughton watching to.

England fans who moan abour Roy annoy me, we'd kill to have him as our manager!

He must have a way with words, after all he convinced Wales to appoint him as manager.

N.Ireland fans chant 'You're just a cheap Gareth Bale' to Ronaldo.
He responds with a hat-trick.

I've backed Chris as much as possible. Even through the dreadful performances and there have been a few (Serbia) tonight was appalling. Team selection all wrong, substitutions were mind boggling, like bringing Mathews on right wing when 2-1 down. For me, Wales have the problem England do in which we crave our manager to be from our country, when we should be looking at their footballing credentials. Coleman hasn't had an impressive managerial career and its shown. 3 wins is pretty poor. Tonight luck wasn't with us but overall his tactics were a big factor in us losing tonight.

Sturridge is very doubtful for the game on Tuesday night

Real shame for him, think he'd have been selected for these games with Rooney out and his form so it's a shame that injury has put him out. 

Hopefully he'll be fit after the international break though, don't want to be missing Sturridge and Suarez.

Standard win tonight against a poor side, anything less than 3-0 win is poor. 

Wellbeck, Whilshere, Lambert and Gerrard very impressive. Top of the group happy days.

Wellbeck suspension is a huge blow, huge pressure on Lambert now. Is he the only fit striker for Tuesday? Ukraine will be a tough game, proven that the last two times we played them.

what about defoe is he injured or something? gary hooper possible call up? long overdue if you ask me.

Yeah forgot about Defoe. Ill imagine we will start Walcott and another winger and Lambert, with Defoe remaining on the bench.

Liam wrote:what about defoe is he injured or something? gary hooper possible call up? long overdue if you ask me.

Hooper's injured, Defoe's barely played

It's a Real shame Bale didn't play tonight.

I think now the dust has settled, he didn't put Bale on because Macedonia were kicking lumps out of us. They successfully took out Joniesta who was playing superb. Pitch wasn't great either

Liam wrote:

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:Poor old Collison doesnt even make the side. Surely Collins is better than Gabbidon too?!

Collinson is average, we have better players to use. Plus Collins is injured so can't play and tbh, Gabbidon has been superb this season for Palace. Always been a class act as a defender. Always remember his performance at OT vs England where he basically stopped a stuffing all by himself.

A fit Collison is a lovely player to have. I prefer watching us when hes in the team, had injuries not wrecked him I honestly think he'd be our best player. I like Gabs, but hes gone. Hes nowhere near what he was.

The draw between poland and montenegro has taken the pressure off. A win in this next game and we may not even need to win the last game to top the group.

there's no pressure off at all. We could easily lose against ukraine and then their in the driving seat. yeah, if we do beat ukraine, im sure we will be fine but until that happens, its still up in the air.

the pressure is slightly off mate because even if we draw to ukraine we can win the next two and qualify top.

we have 2 bites of the cherry. If montenegro had beaten poland we would have had to beat ukraine to keep it in our hands. as it stands we only need the draw and we are top after 8

Quite right mysti. Now we simply have to avoid defeat against Ukraine, and Montenegro will have to go for the win against us at Wembley. That'll play right into England's hands.