England v San Marino predictions: Three Lions can stroll to opening victory

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for the 2022 World Cup qualifier between England and San Marino on Thursday.

Where to watch

ITV, 7.45pm Thursday

Best bets

England to win 6-0
1pt 11-2 general

England to win 7-0
1pt 11-2 general

Team news

England
Bukayo Saka (hamstring) has joined Jack Grealish, Jadon Sancho, Danny Ings, Harvey Barnes and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford on the sidelines. Manchester United's Dean Henderson may start in goal but Marcus Rashford is a doubt.

San Marino
There should be starts for goalkeeper Elia Benedettini and forwards Filippo Berardi and Nicola Nanni, who all play in Italy's Serie C.

Match preview

San Marino signed off their Nations League campaign with back-to-back clean sheets against Liechtenstein and Gibraltar but that brief defensive golden age should come to an end against England.

The Three Lions have won all six of their meetings with San Marino by an aggregate score of 37-1 and the 2018 World Cup semi-finalists could hardly have a softer start to their 2022 qualifying group.

San Marino's one goal against England came, famously, 8.3 seconds into a World Cup qualifier in 1993 but their recent results against Europe's top teams suggest this fixture will be even less competitive than the Prestbury Cup.

The minnows enjoyed themselves in the shallow end of the Nations League, picking up a point in Liechtenstein and holding firm against Gibraltar despite playing the final 40 minutes with ten men.

They failed to score a goal in four League D2 games, however, and their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign featured 9-0 defeats away to Russia and Belgium as well as a 6-0 drubbing in Scotland.

England are 1-5 to top the group and in their last five qualifying campaigns San Marino have lost 5-0, 11-0, 5-0, 8-0, 5-0, 6-0, 8-0, 7-0, 4-0 and 9-0 to the teams who won their sections.

The correct-score market is the obvious heat for punters in this mismatch and splitting stakes between a 6-0 and 7-0 England victory could prove profitable.

Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and new boy Ollie Watkins have scored 59 Premier League goals between them this season and will be eager for a crack at the San Marino defence.

However, Gareth Southgate is missing Jack Grealish, the standout performer in England's autumn internationals, and the boss will be mindful of his players' workloads with qualifiers against Albania on Sunday and Poland on Wednesday to come.

Southgate may give starts to some of his fringe players while second-half substitutions are likely to disrupt the flow of the game so England could fall short of double figures.

Key stat

San Marino have lost 16 of their last 25 away qualifiers by at least a 5-0 margin.

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