England take on minnows Moldova in World Cup Qualifiers opener
Roy Hodgson’s England will kick-off their World Cup qualifying campaign against Moldova on Friday at the Zimbru Stadium. The Three Lions have been stationed in Group H of the competition, which also features http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/San-Marino-c2998.
After their disappointing exit from Euro 2012, in which they lost to http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Italy-c2926 in the quarterfinals on a penalty shootout, Hodgson’s unit will be look to get their campaign off to a flyer, and send a strong signal of intent towards their rivals.
In contrast, the Selectionata will be vying to make the most of their home advantage, and pull off an unlikely result.
England
The Three Lions manager will have to content with the absence of his senior defender, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Leighton-Baines-c21987.
The Englishman’s options upfront also went slim, after Andy Carroll sustained an injury during an EPL game at the weekend and the manager refusing to bring in his replacement. His absence means that Hodgson will start with Jermain Defoe and Danny Welbeck
in the offence, with Rooney also out of contention due to an injury.
Oxlade-Chamberlain could also feature in the staring-eleven, given his impressive recent form at http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-c38429. The 19-year old is determined to make an impression at the international stage, and is more confident after his outings in the Euros.
He told the reporters, “We will look to win the game and play it in the right way. I will have to wait and see how it's going to go but it's the international stage and it's tough.”
“The manager gives a player like me the freedom to add flair to the game. He puts his trust in us and that's really good as we can express ourselves.”
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Joleon-Lescott-c18941, Baines and John Terry in the back.
Expected Starting Eleven:
Steven Gerrard (Captain), http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Danny-Welbeck-c10233.
Moldova
Ion Caras’ unit, who played out a goalless draw against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Albania-c2834 last month in a friendly match, will go into the game as the underdogs, but will look to make the home advantage count.
Given the size of their opponents on Friday, the manager is expected to do a lot of testing and could field some of the younger players in the squad, in order to give them professional exposure.
Expected Starting Eleven:
Stanislav Namasco (Goalkeeper), http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Artur-Patras-c6740, Igor Picusceac.
Expected Result:
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/England-c749
Despite playing away from home, the Three Lions are expected to secure a comfortable win, as their opponents just don’t seem to possess enough firepower to pose any considerable threat.
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