San Marino vs England: Who will bolster World Cup claim?

With qualification to Qatar 2022 within touching distance, Monday’s trip to minnows San Marino offers those on the fringes of Gareth Southgate’s squad one final chance to leave a lasting impression before England enter a World Cup year.

England head to FIFA’s 210th and lowest-ranked nation needing just a point to guarantee top spot in Group I and a place at next year’s World Cup.

Southgate’s side are not expected to encounter too many issues against a team who are bottom of the world rankings and have lost all nice World Cup Qualifiers by an aggregate score of 36-1.

But England will need no reminding of the infamous 1993 trip to the enclave where a 7-1 victory proved insufficient as Graham Taylor’s side missed out on a place at the 1994 World Cup.

Should England get the job done and they will extend their record World Cup Qualification unbeaten streak to 31 games while Harry Kane, fresh from his hat-trick against Albania last time out, could close on Gary Lineker and Sir Bobby Charlton in the all-time England scoring charts if unleashed against San Marino.

Gallagher gets first England call-up

Crystal Palace loanee Conor Gallagher has been called up to the England senior squad for the first time.

The 21-year-old midfielder, who is on loan at Selhurst Park from Chelsea, has been rewarded by England manager Gareth Southgate after scoring four goals and adding two assists for Palace this season.

Asked about Gallagher’s call-up, Southgate said: “I’ve been very impressed with him.

“We have tracked Conor for quite a long time, his loan spells at Charlton and Swansea, West Brom and Crystal Palace.

“At each loan he has done really well. We talked about him when we named the original squad of who we wanted to keep an eye on.

“That is the benefit of being with the U21s, it is an easy transition to bring him across; already Covid tested – that is not to say he is only here because of that, he deserves to be here.”

Gallagher’s call-up comes as Southgate deals with several absences ahead of Monday’s World Cup qualifier in San Marino, a game which England need only a point from to secure their place at next year’s tournament.

What do England need to qualify?

England need just one point to be certain of qualification to the 2022 World Cup.

England’s lead at the top of Group I was cut to three points last month when they were held to a 1-1 draw with Hungary at Wembley, while Poland beat Albania 1-0 to move into second place and turn up the heat.

But Gareth Southgate’s side roared back with a 5-0 thrashing of Albania to finally close in on an automatic place at next year’s finals.

England would have qualified with a game to spare had Poland slipped up against Andorra but Robert Lewandowski scored twice in a 4-1 win.

The Wembley mauling, however, means England only need to avoid defeat in San Marino – the world’s worst side – on Monday to win the group and reach Qatar.

Poland will have to settle for the play-offs – and reaching Qatar with a second-placed finish is not straightforward.

The 10 runners-up from the group stage will join two group winners from last season’s Nations League in a mini-tournament in March that will see only three more teams qualify.

Gallagher proof of pathway from England U21s

Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol:

“If Conor Gallagher plays for England against San Marino, it will mean he will have played for his country before he’s played for his own club, Chelsea. He has been at Chelsea since he was eight years old, he’s been on loan at clubs like Charlton, Swansea, West Brom and, this season, Crystal Palace. He’s been one of the best players in the Premier League this season while on loan at Palace, scoring four goals.

“A few people thought he should have been called up to the initial England squad, but I think Gareth Southgate’s thinking was to put him in the U21s, who had a very important game against the Czech Republic. Gallagher played in that game, England U21s won that, and now because of injuries and the fact the next U21 game is a friendly against Georgia, this is seen as a perfect opportunity to bring him into the senior squad.

“It just goes to show that if you are a young player it pays to be part of the U21 squad. I know a number of players don’t like being involved and think they should be playing for the senior squad, but if you look at someone like Gallagher or Emile Smith Rowe, if you’re good enough Gareth Southgate will make sure there is a pathway for you into the senior squad.”

Who could bolster WC claims?

The England right-back debate took another interesting detour in the win over Albania with Reece James performing like there really should be no debate regarding the issue.

Gareth Southgate reverted to a back three, and James continued his stellar club form for his country, playing like a man who was eager to make himself an automatic selection for Southgate moving forward.

He rampaged down the right at Wembley, delivering a string of superb balls – including for Harry Maguire’s opener – and sparked the attack that led to Harry Kane’s goal with one of several driving runs.

The exciting Chelsea player is still only 21-years-old. So, with just eight caps to his name, Southgate will surely be keen to get more international experience into his legs.

Perfect time to experiment and find a ball-playing midfielder to protect possession

Two of the country’s most impressive performers at Euro 2020 were Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice and the duo are likely to play many more matches together on the international stage. But a long-standing problem for this England group has been retaining possession through the middle of the park against the best sides.

It was a problem against Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi-final, when, after scoring early, England sat back, came under increasing pressure, were unable to keep the ball and then eventually conceded twice. And it was a problem again in July, when, again, England scored early against Italy in the Euros final before their opponents took charge.

A positive start and one-goal lead was also squandered against the Netherlands in the 2019 Nations League semi-finals. It is a recurring issue and one Southgate is clearly aware of.

Since the Euros, he has experimented with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden in central-midfield roles, while Reece James was even given a brief cameo in the position at home to Andorra in September. Mason Mount could also be an option.

However, Jude Bellingham, whose progress with England is being carefully managed by Southgate, seems to be the more straightforward selection in the middle of the park if a ball-player is the priority – and his run out against Albania was a reminder he is very much a part of Southgate’s plans.

The Borussia Dortmund midfielder – the youngster player to represent England at a major tournament – will still only be 19 when the World Cup comes around, but he has already gained a lot of big-match experience and shown he has the technical skills to help his country use the ball better.

While Rice and Phillips are perhaps a little underrated with the ball at their feet, and Jordan Henderson offered a reminder of what he can bring to the engine room against Albania, there is no escaping the fact England completed under 75 per cent of their passes against Italy in July. The eventual winners were up at 89 per cent.

A technical alternative, or addition, to those more experienced figures in central midfield would be a welcome asset on occasions.

Team news

Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling are both unavailable for England’s final World Cup Qualifier.

Liverpool midfielder Henderson has returned to Merseyside after picking up an injury while Manchester City forward Sterling will sit the game out for personal reasons.

Jack Grealish, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw have also not travelled to San Marino, where Wolves defender Conor Coady is in line to make his eighth senior start for England.

Opta stats

England have won their seven matches against San Marino by an aggregate score of 42-1, winning 5-0 in March at Wembley in the reverse World Cup 2022 qualifier.In San Marino, England have won 14-0 in two previous visits, winning 8-0 in March 2013 and 6-0 in September 2015. Their other match against the Sammarinese not on English soil was played in Bologna at the Stadio Renato dall’Ara in November 1993, with San Marino taking the lead through Davide Gualtieri after eight seconds before losing 7-1.San Marino have lost 36 of their 37 home World Cup qualifiers, losing the last 35 in a row by an aggregate score of 146-7. They last avoided defeat at home in March 1993 in a 0-0 draw with Turkey in Serravalle.Since conceding after eight seconds against San Marino in November 1993, England have only conceded in the first half of three of their 32 away World Cup qualifiers: Carsten Jancker in the sixth minute for Germany in September 2001, Pavel Sitko in the 28th minute for Belarus in October 2008 and Serhiy Nazarenko in the 29th minute for the Ukraine in October 2009.San Marino have lost their last 35 qualifying matches (EUROs/World Cup), scoring five goals while conceding 163 themselves. They only had one shot in their 4-0 defeat to Hungary last time out.

What’s next and how to follow England’s World Cup Qualifiers

Follow San Marino vs England – England’s final World Cup Qualifier – on Monday (kick-off 7.45pm) with our live blogs, and watch free match highlights on the Sky Sports website and app, as well as the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel.

When and where is the 2022 World Cup?

The 2022 World Cup is taking place in Qatar in the winter months rather than the usual summer ones, due to the heat.

The tournament kicks off on Monday November 21 at the Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor with a match that will feature the host country.

The final will be played at the Lusail Stadium in Doha a week before Christmas on Sunday December 18.

What is the World Cup format and schedule?

The tournament will feature 32 teams in eight groups of four.

Four matches will be played each day during the group stage, which will run over a 12-day period and see winners and runners-up progress to the round of 16.

Matches will only be assigned to particular venues after the finals draw, so organisers can choose optimal kick-off times to suit television audiences in different countries, as well as supporters out in Qatar.

The finals draw is scheduled to take place in April 2022, after the March window for international fixtures.

Unlike at Euro 2020, there will be a third-place play-off game on December 17.

Group stage: November 21-December 2
Round of 16: December 3-6
Quarter-finals: December 9/10
Semi-finals: December 13/14
Final: December 18

When will the matches kick off?

FIFA has confirmed the first two rounds of matches will kick off at 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10pm local time (10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm in the United Kingdom).

Kick-off times in the final round of group games and knock-out round matches will be at 6pm and 10pm local time (3pm and 7pm UK time).

The final is scheduled to kick off at 6pm local time (3pm UK time)

What are the venues?

The group games will take place across eight stadia: Al Bayt Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Lusail Stadium, Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, Education City Stadium, Al Janoub Stadium.

What happens to the Premier League in 2022/23?

The Premier League has confirmed key dates for the 2022/23 campaign, with the season adjusted to accommodate a World Cup that takes place in the middle of the domestic calendar.

The season will start a week earlier than normal on August 6 2022, with 16 matchdays taking place up to the weekend of November 12/13, before the tournament kicks off on November 21.

The Premier League will resume on Boxing Day following the World Cup final, which takes place on December 18.

The final match round of the 2022/23 season will be played on May 28 2023.