England heads into their final Group C match against Slovenia on 23 June at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth. While it is a must-win match for the Three Lions, Slovenia would be happy with a point from the game as it would ensure their progress to second round.
Time
The match starts at 14:00 GMT and 16:00 local tome. According to British Summer Time (BST), the match begins at 15:00. As per Slovenia time, the match begins at 16:00. In USA, the match kicks off at 10:00 (New York time) and 07:00 (California time).
Live Score
To get the live score of the match, visit the following link:
http://www.flashscore.com/soccer/world-cup/
Going into the match, England would be under pressure knowing that anything less than a win would most probably show them the exit door. England has 2 points following two abject displays in their two draws against USA and Algeria.
Now, a win would secure the Three Lions a place in the round of 16, while a draw means their hopes would be hanging in the balance. At the moment, England and USA have equal 2 point after 2 matches with a same goal difference.
Now, if England draws with Slovenia and USA draws with Algeria, point and goal difference would not be able to break the tie. In that case, the total number of goals scored in all the group matches would come into effect.
England team went through a tough time off the field over the last few days with John Terry being the center of criticism following his comments on some of the squad related aspects in the media. However, the former captain apologized to coach Fabio Capello on Tuesday.
It seems England would bring a change in their team formation for the Slovenia match, switching from 4-4-2 to 4-4-1-1 formation. It means Wayne Rooney would play up front as the lone striker with captain Steven Gerrard playing just behind him. Gerrard-Rooney combination worked very well for the Three Lions in their pre-World Cup friendly matches. However, Capello overlooked this formation for the first two matches, but this time it appears he is not going to do the same mistake.
Joe Cole would at last get the coach’s nod to start against Slovenia on the left wing. In the midfield, Barry would play the holding role, while Lampard would look to provide passes and through balls to Gerrard and Rooney. Lennon would continue on the right wing. In the absence of suspended Jamie Carragher, Upson would partner Terry at the center of the defense.
Slovenia showed their attacking style of football against Algeria and USA. In the presence of captain Robert Koren, Valter Birsa, Dedič and Novakovic, they have very good attacking options.
However, while Slovenia’s attacking line up could be a matter of worry, their defense could lure the likes of Rooney and Gerrard. After scoring two early goals, Slovenia failed to capitalize on their lead and was held to a 2-2 draw by USA. Their defense was exposed on a number of times in the second half. Knowing that just a point would be enough to create history, Slovenia would like to ensure that England can not score in the match.
England XI (Probable)
David James, Ashley Cole, John Terry, Mathew Upson, Glen Johnson, Gareth Barry, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney
Slovenia XI (Probable)
Samir Handanovic, Bostjan Cesar, Matej Mavric, Miso Brecko, Bojan Jokic, Robert Koren, Aleksander Radosavljevic, Valter Birsa, Andraz Kirm, Milivoje Novakovic, Zlatko Dedič
Though Slovenia has very good attacking intent, England should not have any problem to clinch full points from the match. Given the squad strength, a 2-0 victory for England is very possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment