Montenegro vs England - Qualification EURO 2012

Montenegro vs England
EURO Qualifiers 2010/2011
Date : 7. October 2011 - 19:45 GMT

Fabio Capello may rely on some young players for England's crucial away fixture against Montenegro on Friday. Former captains Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard miss out along with Jermaine Defoe, while the likes of Phil Jones, Kyle Walker and Danny Welbeck could be given a chance to impress. For the Montenegrins, Stevan Jovetic's return to fitness and form for Fiorentina is a significant boost to new coach Branko Brnović.

England are already assured of a play off place and could clinch automatic qualification as group winners on Friday with a draw or a win. Even a defeat would leave Montenegro with some task to overhaul both their points total and goal difference. Meanwhile Montenegro would need Wales to take at least a point from Switzerland if they were to clinch qualification this week, and avoid a direct contest with the Swiss in their final group game.

As Montenegro only became an independent footballing nation after the 2006 World Cup, there's very little form with which to judge this fixture. Their solitary exchange was a 0-0 draw at Wembley in October of last year - a good result for the visitors but not much to go on. Before that, England played a combined Serbia and Montenegro side in 2003 in a friendly they won 2-1, but of the players who played on that day, only Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry and Ashley Cole remain in the squad.

Head to Head :
Last Meeting : 12. October 2010 England vs Montenegro 0-0
Wins Montenegro : 0
Wins England : 0
Draws : 1

Possible Line-Ups :
Montenegro : Bozovic - Zverotic, Savic, Batak, Balic - Vukcevic, Pekovic, Drincic, Vucinic - Jovetic, Dalovic.
England : Hart - Terry, Smalling, Cole, Cahill - Welbeck, Millner, Lampard, Downing - Barry, Rooney.

Betting tip/Prediction :
Fabio Capello may rely on some young players for England's crucial away fixture against Montenegro on Friday. Former captains Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard miss out along with Jermaine Defoe, while the likes of Phil Jones, Kyle Walker and Danny Welbeck could be given a chance to impress.
Our prediction : Away