Malta vs. England: World Cup 2018 Qualifying Live Stream, Preview
Tom Sunderland@@TomSunderland_
Featured ColumnistSeptember 1, 2017
England will face Malta on Friday in their penultimate away fixture of the 2018 World Cup qualification campaign, presenting an opportunity for the Three Lions to pile on the pressure at the top of Group F.
Gareth Southgate's side already lead second-placed Slovakia by two points but have a superb opportunity to maintain, or even increase, that cushion on Friday, the first of two back-to-back qualifiers in quick succession.
With a home fixture against Slovakia to follow on Monday, there's a chance Southgate will rest a bulk of his bigger stars against Malta in a bid to keep them fresh for the more critical test at Wembley Stadium.
Nothing will be taken for granted prior to England's visit to the National Stadium in Ta'Qali, however, where victory would put the Three Lions within touching distance of a first-placed finish in Group F.
Read on for a preview of Friday's encounter, complete with all the vital viewing information you will need to catch the action.
Date: Friday, September 1
Time: 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET
Venue: National Stadium, Ta'Qali, Malta
TV Info: ITV (UK), ESPN Deportes (U.S.)
Preview
England have brought a squad boasting a mixture of youth and wisdom with them to Ta'Qali, where Southgate faces a conundrum in offering experience to those who need it without endangering the result.
Following the international retirement of Wayne Rooney, the Three Lions need leadership from new faces in the team, and England last week released a list of those who will take part in the next two qualifiers:
Among those angling for a debut against Malta is Leicester City centre-back Harry Maguire, who has been in impressive form for the Foxes since completing a switch from relegated Hull City over the summer months.
He and fellow up-and-comer Michael Keane could get their chance with starts in central defence, and BBC Radio Manchester reporter Bill Rice recently showed particular favour towards Maguire:
The 24-year-old even managed to earn praise when his side lost 2-0 at Manchester United last Saturday, a defeat that came after he scored his first Foxes goal in a victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.
Another young centre-back to keep an eye on will start for the hosts: Sam Magri, the Ebbsfleet United defender who played alongside the likes of Jordan Pickford, Nathaniel Chalobah and Raheem Sterling for England in the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico.
Speaking to the Daily Mail's Tom Farmery, the Portsmouth-born 23-year-old told of what it might feel like to encounter some familiar faces as international opposition this time around, should he feature:
"It's been weird because I hadn't seem them for years and then saw Nathaniel this summer while I was with Ebbsfleet in Portugal [on a pre-season training tour]. I've known Jordan for a while because we both made our debuts for the England U16s against Wales in 2009.
"It's weird thinking back how long ago the tournament was in Mexico. I have some great memories of it. Beating Argentina on penalties and me scoring was really special."
In attack, Manchester United's Marcus Rashford stands a great chance of starting against a defence that has conceded 15 goals in six qualifying matches after a star substitute display against Leicester in the Premier League, per Statman Dave:
The Manchester-born menace has taken something of a backseat role under manager Jose Mourinho, but with Harry Kane potentially rested for the Slovakia fixture, Rashford could be given an opportunity.
England should, on paper, walk over Malta and hand their hosts a seventh successive loss in Group F qualifying as the team prepare for its first fixture of the post-Rooney era.