England and Russia are the big beasts of Group B and, though each would love a winning start when they meet on Saturday, the fear of losing could well become all-pervading and lead to a cagey encounter. With games against Wales and Slovakia to come, and the potential for three teams to qualify with two guaranteed, a point at the Velodrome might look a very useful result in a couple of weeks. England, on the back of winning all 10 qualifiers, not to mention a rare victory in Germany in a friendly, start favourites and will expect to make the running in front of a 60,000 crowd that will be predominantly behind them.
Images from EPL matches played on Saturday.
England's Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy struck in a 2-1 friendly win over fellow Euro 2016 finalists Turkey on Sunday as the home side warmed up with a performance that highlighted their potency in attack and defensive limitations.
But for third-placed Spurs, who trail leaders Manchester City and Liverpool by five points, this may prove to be a loss that leaves them with too much ground to make up.
Danny Welbeck may frustrate at club level but put the Arsenal striker in an England shirt and he has proved himself to be a reliable figure on the international stage.
Chelsea kept up their 100 percent start to the English Premier League season by snatching a 2-1 win at a stubborn Newcastle United on Sunday, grabbing victory thanks to a late own goal by DeAndre Yedlin.
Southampton striker Rickie Lambert will lead England's attack in the World Cup qualifier against Moldova on Friday after Daniel Sturridge was ruled out through injury.
An emotional and apologetic Sam Allardyce said on Wednesday an error of judgement had led to his shock exit as England manager following a newspaper sting.
Although it was far from unexpected, Frank Lampard's international retirement increased the challenge facing England manager Roy Hodgson as he looks to move the team forward for the 2016 European Championship and beyond.
A smiling Jamie Vardy reckoned he had never scored a finer goal than the blistering long-distance volley which helped Leicester City's footballing fantasy enter ever more surreal territory on Tuesday.
For all the positives that England can take from their performance against Russia in their opening Euro 2016 game there remains the worrying issue that their sophisticated modern defenders remain vulnerable to the most basic of attacking ploys -- a long punt into the box.
When England fans sang about '30 years of hurt' at Euro '96 they had high hopes of ending the pain with a first trophy since the 1966 World Cup but 20 years on from that agonising near miss there is precious little optimism in the air.
Soccer highlights from across the globe.
McTominay injury takes gloss of vibrant United display
Substitute Jamie Vardy scored with a stunning flick, his first international goal, and Eric Dier headed a last-gasp winner as England hit back from two goals down to beat old rivals Germany 3-2 in a friendly on Saturday. Germany appeared to be heading for a routine win when they led 2-0 through Toni Kroos and Mario Gomez, his first goal since Euro 2012, after an hour. But Harry Kane changed the course of the game with an opportunist goal before Vardy produced a moment of brilliance just three minutes after coming on as a substitute. Nathaniel Clyne crossed from the right and the Leicester City striker stuck his foot out behind his standing leg to flick the ball between Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and his near post. Then Dier rose above the Germany defence to score with a thumping downward header from Jordan Henderson's corner in the 91st minute.
Fifty years on from the greatest day in the history of English football, pessimists fear that the prospect of becoming world champions again is as remote as it has ever been.
The result against the tiny Scandinavian country, who had clearly been hugely undervalued, was a humiliation for a proud football nation that appeared to have badly lost its way.
Manchester City soared above the fog swirling round the Etihad Stadium to demolish Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 and leave the rest of the Premier League peering into the distance in search of Pep Guardiola's record-breaking team on Saturday.
Southgate's formation and tactics have been hailed as progressive and modern, there is also something traditionally English about the team's strengths.
Liverpool moved into the Champions League qualifying spots after a 3-0 win at Burnley on Wednesday took them above Leicester City and into fourth place with one round of Premier League matches remaining.
Take a look at the top scorers of the English premier league!
The victory takes Pep Guardiola's side into provisional second spot
Manchester United battled back from two goals down to beat Newcastle United 3-2 at Old Trafford on Saturday as a 90th-minute winner from Alexis Sanchez completed a spirited comeback to ease the pressure on manager Jose Mourinho.
Images from English Premier League matches played on Sunday.
Following is a match by match look at the English Premier League's weekend fixtures:
There may be little glamour in being a mid-table Premier League team but this season suggests that those clubs who become bored with such an existence can find the alternative is far worse.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
England's soccer journalists left their readers with no illusions on Tuesday after their side's Euro 2016 hopes were crushed by Iceland, describing the 2-1 loss as the worst in their history.
Soccer fans mock as England dumped out of Europe twice in a week.
England drew 0-0 with Slovakia on Monday to finish second in Euro 2016 Group B and qualify for the knockout phase behind Wales who beat Russia 3-0 in their final match.
Manchester United eased the pressure on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a 3-1 win at Everton in the Premier League on Saturday with Bruno Fernandes scoring twice and Edinson Cavani grabbing his first for the club.
Match-by-match facts and statistics ahead of the Premier League
Watford climbed into the top four of the Premier League after Tom Cleverley's 92nd-minute goal gave them a 2-1 victory over Arsenal at Vicarage Road on Saturday.
Manchester City overcame a spirited Bournemouth side 3-1 on Saturday to maintain their unbeaten streak and extend their lead at the top of the English Premier League to five points.
While the 31-year-old achieved every honour in the club game, eclipsing Bobby Charlton as Manchester United's leading scorer, his career with England was always more problematic, even though he ended as their most prolific goalscorer and most capped outfield player.
Arsenal slumped to a last-gasp 2-1 Premier League defeat at relegation-threatened Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday in a blow to the London club's chances of securing European football next season. Watford's Craig Dawson grabbed a stoppage-time equaliser with an overhead kick to earn his side a 1-1 draw with Leicester City on Saturday and a vital point in their battle for Premier League survival.
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart generated some more negative headlines after a last minute mix-up with Matija Nastasic allowed Chelsea's Fernando Torres to score a late winner in a 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
England defender John Stones has been ruled out of their final two Euro 2016 qualifiers through injury, the FA said in a statement.
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