Euro 2020

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Attendance: 77,277

Euro Champ Qualifying | Group Stage

Nov 14, 2019 at 7.45pm UK

England
7-0
Montenegro

Oxlade-Chamberlain (11'), Kane (19', 24', 37'), Rashford (30'), Sofranac (66' og.), Abraham (84')

FT(HT: 5-0)

How England could line up against Montenegro

By Barney Corkhill, Editor

Published: November 12 2019 | 20:15

Last updated: November 15 2019 | 11:31

Sports Mole looks at how England could line up for their 1,000th international match after Raheem Sterling was dropped for the Euro 2020 qualifier with Montenegro.

England could book their place at Euro 2020 in their 1,000th international match when they host Montenegro at Wembley on Thursday evening.

Gareth Southgate's side need just a point from their final two qualifiers to guarantee their place at next summer's tournament, having won five out of six matches in Group A so far.

However, the buildup to this landmark fixture has been overshadowed by a bust-up between teammates Joe Gomez and Raheem Sterling, leading to the latter being dropped for this match.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how the Three Lions could line up in Sterling's absence.

There is no doubt that England will be a slightly weaker team without Sterling, who remains with the squad after his confrontation with Gomez but has been ruled out of playing any part in this match.

The Manchester City winger is understood to have grabbed Gomez by the neck in the canteen at St George's Park, with tensions simmering over following Sunday's highly-charged title battle between Man City and Liverpool at Anfield.

Sterling has arguably been England's best player since the World Cup and has been directly involved in 13 goals throughout the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, but in Borussia Dortmund starlet Jadon Sancho Southgate has readymade cover.

Sancho is expected to come in alongside Marcus Rashford and captain Harry Kane, both of whom were on the scoresheet last time out in Sofia.

Kane also registered three assists in that match to take him up to 15 goal involvements in his last 10 international appearances, scoring nine and creating six more.

Gomez, who trained alongside Sterling bearing a noticeable scratch under his eye on Tuesday, may be forced to settle for a place on the bench after Tyrone Mings impressed on his debut alongside first-choice centre-back Harry Maguire last month.

Harry Winks has fallen down the pecking order at Tottenham Hotspur in recent weeks but appears to still be in favour with Southgate, while Ross Barkley's absence could open the door for James Maddison to make his England debut after he was forced to withdraw from the last squad through illness.

The Leicester City playmaker courted controversy when he was pictured in a casino during England's defeat to Czech Republic last month, but his form at club level could see him start ahead of fitness doubt Mason Mount.

Southgate must also make a decision at right-back, where Kieran Trippier has been his preferred choice in the past despite Trent Alexander-Arnold continually pushing for selection with his Liverpool form.