Hamsik has more than enough talent to trouble England’s midfield Matthew Childs/Action Images Via ReutersEngland welcome Slovakia to Wembley this evening in the latest World Cup qualifier. Gareth Southgate’s side sit pretty at the top of Group A with five wins and two draws, while their opponents occupy second place, trailing by only two points. Win, and England all but guarantee themselves qualification to next summer’s tournament in Russia (barring a calamitous crash-and-burn in the final two qualifiers). Slovakia would leapfrog England into first place and put Southgate’s team’s qualification in jeopardy – England would have to be one of the best eight runners up from all the groups to have a chance to progress to a further knock-out round. England have not lost to Slovakia in their five previous encounters.

Source: The Times September 04, 2017 16:07 UTC