Will the young Three Lions knock off the underdogs?
A “David against Goliath” situation that could hardly be purer is on offer on the tenth and final matchday of Group I of the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers. Football dwarfs San Marino, who have lost all nine group games and scored a total of 1:36 goals, welcome unbeaten leaders England, who are virtually impossible to knock out of first place.
The San Marino national football team has only won one friendly match in its history and is still winless in a total of 161 competitive matches. In the run-up to the match between San Marino and England, the odds are clearly in favour of the Three Lions.
The only question to be answered in this match concerns the amount of the English victory. In the first leg, Gareth Southgate’s team “only” managed a 5:0 victory at home against the glaring underdogs. Now, however, the English go into the second leg with a young and hungry squad.
We think it is very likely that the difference between San Marino and England will be at least six goals this time around.
San Marino – Statistics & current form
The San Marino national football team played their first ever official international match almost exactly 31 years ago in the 1992 European Championship qualifiers. La Serenissima have since played a total of 151 competitive matches in the qualifying rounds for World and European Championships.
The national team of the Italian enclave has not won a single one of these matches. In fact, they have scored only 20 goals in 151 games, losing 148 of them in qualifying, with only three draws.
The bottom of the FIFA World Ranking
The exotic 210th-ranked team, which sits at the bottom of the FIFA World Ranking behind the likes of Turks and Caicos, the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla, once again came up empty in Group I of the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers.
All nine of their group games were lost, with La Serenissima only managing to score one goal in a 7-1 home defeat to Poland on 5 September 2021. It was the only goal scored, compared with 36 conceded in nine group matches.
Only one win in 181 internationals played
Accordingly, for Franco Varrella’s selection, the only thing that matters against the overpowering English is to avoid another resounding defeat and to keep halfway in the game. No easy task for the football dwarf, who has only won one of their 181 international matches – a 1-0 victory over Liechtenstein on 28 April 2004.
And because hardly any of the players in the San Marinese squad stand out and there is hardly any thought of professional football structures in the republic with its population of only 33,500, there is absolutely no reason to expect a surprise.
Predicted line-up of San Marino:
Benedettini – Grandoni – Rossi – Fabbri – Battistini – D. Tomassini – Golinucci – Lunadei – Mularoni – Nanni – F. Tomassini
Last matches played by San Marino:
World Cup Qualification UEFA 1st Round Grp. I
11/12 2021 – Hungary 4 – 0 San Marino
10/12 2021 – San Marino 0 – 3 Andorra
10/09 2021 – Poland 5 – 0 San Marino
09/08 2021 – Albania 5 – 0 San Marino
09/05 2021 – San Marino 1 – 7 Poland
England – Statistics & current form
England’s national football team have lost just one of their last 19 internationals, but would certainly have loved to have traded all of their other 18 games for this painful defeat, which came against Italy in the final of EURO 2021, of all places, in front of a home crowd at Wembley on 11 July 2021.
In a penalty shoot-out, the Three Lions missed out on the overall victory in their first ever European Championship final. This means that the motherland of football still only has the title from the 1966 World Cup to its name.
Little pressure thanks to strong starting position
The fact that they have won 15 of their last 19 internationals nevertheless gives encouragement that England, who have been on the up in recent years, can make another attempt to finally win another major title in Qatar 2022. For that to happen, however, they still have to secure direct qualification in San Marino.
In theory, a draw is enough for Gareth Southgate’s side. Even if the Three Lions were to lose by a goal difference in Serravalle, Poland would need a five-goal win over Hungary to knock England out of first place. The reigning European vice-champions are therefore under little pressure.
Body squad with 19 motivated young players
Accordingly, Gareth Southgate also afforded to send several players back early and travel to the enclave located in Italy with 19 remaining players with a low average age. Finally, the only question is how big the away win will be, while San Marino v England tip 2 is considered a sure-fire winner.
With the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Emile Smith Rowe, Conor Gallagher and Phil Foden all keen to make their presence felt in the absence of the top stars, we think it is highly likely that the young and wild Three Lions will run roughshod over the FIFA World Ranking’s bottom side.
Predicted England line-up:
Ramsdale – Chilwell – James – Coady – Alexander-Arnold – Phillips – Bellingham – Smith Rowe – Gallagher – Foden – Abraham
Last England Matches:
World Cup Qualification UEFA 1st Round Grp. I
11/12 2021 – England 5 – 0 Albania
10/12 2021 – England 1 – 1 Hungary
10/09 2021 – Andorra 0 – 5 England
09/08 2021 – Poland 1 – 1 England
09/05 2021 – England 4 – 0 Andorra
San Marino – England Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
Head to head: 0 – 0 – 7
The two nations have faced each other seven times so far and the English side have won all seven encounters, scoring an average of six goals against San Marino on 42 goals to 1. In the first leg, the Three Lions celebrated a 5-0 home victory at Wembley on 25 March 2021.
San Marino – England betting tips
When it comes to San Marino against England, the prediction has to take into account the home side’s glaring underdog role. The San Marino side is at the bottom of the FIFA world rankings and has failed to win any of its 161 competitive matches so far. Accordingly, the only question that remains is how high the Three Lions will win in this away match in Serravalle.
With a view to the fact that Gareth Southgate is going into this away game with a short squad with a low average age, it may be permissible to draw the conclusion that there could be a lack of cold-bloodedness. But because the many reserve players are desperate to impress in order to recommend themselves for the 2022 World Cup squad, we still think a resounding victory is highly likely.
The best value for us is a bet on the Three Lions to win by six goals
