Summary

  • England have six points from two qualifiers

  • Rooney scores 42nd international goal

  • Welbeck scores his third of qualifying campaign

  • Group rivals Switzerland lose in Slovenia

  • European champions Spain lose in Slovakia

  1. We never win at home and we never win away...published at 18:51 British Summer Time 9 October 2014

    San Marino are 208th and last in Fifa's rankings of national football teams: level with Bhutan, beneath the Cook Islands, comfortably adrift of mighty Andorra. They are a full 190 places below Roy Hodgson's England team.

    In 25 years of official competition, the national team has won just one match. They have only scored one competitive goal in the last six years. Their last attempt to qualify for a major tournament, the 2014 World Cup, saw them lose all 10 matches, conceding 54 goals along the way.

  2. Join the debate at #bbcfootballpublished at 18:45 British Summer Time 9 October 2014

    San MarinoImage source, EPA

    Accountants, factory workers, students and a guy who works in a clothes shop.

    England are playing some right part-timers this evening. They will win, and win easily.

    So how do you think you would get on against England? If your Sunday League team, school team, University XI or pub side played England at Wembley, what would the score be?

    Essentially, do you play for a side who are better than San Marino?

    Get in touch at #bbcfootball, external, pop on to the BBC Sport Facebook page, external or BBC Sport's Google+ area., external

    You can also text us on 81111 in the UK only - don't forget to say who you are and where you are texting from.

  3. Postpublished at 18:45 British Summer Time 9 October 2014

    Graham Taylor
    Former England manager on 5 live Drive

    "From Roy Hodgson's perspective, tonight is all about the team's performance. Will the team deliver?

    "Tonight is the kind of game that, if England win it, they will be criticised anyway unless they score six, seven or eight. But as I say, it's not about goals but about the performance. Get the performance right and the goals will come - the two come together."

  4. Who are ya?published at 18:41 British Summer Time 9 October 2014

    San MarinoImage source, Getty Images

    Eighty-nine of the 90 metropolitan counties, non-metropolitan counties and unitary authorities of England have a bigger population than San Marino., external

    This is not a fair fight. This is not even David v Goliath. It's Goliath v Sheffield Hallam University.

    San Marino has a population of approximately 32,000. Sheffield Hallam has about 35,000 students.

    Suddenly asking for a 13-0 win doesn't seem so fanciful eh?

  5. Postpublished at 18:39 British Summer Time 9 October 2014

    BBC Sport Chief Football Writer Phil McNulty at Wembley

    "San Marino are familiar opponents for England after they met in the World Cup qualifying group, Roy Hodgson's side scoring 13 goals without reply against a hapless footballing nation who ended their campaign with a goal difference of minus 53.

    "Both fixtures are regarded as the footballing equivalent of foregone conclusions - so what will Hodgson be looking for as he heads into the next phase of the campaign to qualify for Euro 2016?"

    Read more from Phil.

  6. Postpublished at 18:36 British Summer Time 9 October 2014

    As an enclaved microstate, I'm not even sure that San Marino would qualify as an answer on Pointless.

    But they could, in theory anyway, qualify for the finals of Euro 2016.

    Madness.

  7. Team Newspublished at 18:35 British Summer Time 9 October 2014

    Only three forwards? Against San Marino? Fill your boots lads...

    England XI: Hart; Chambers, Cahill, Jagielka, Gibbs; Henderson, Milner, Wilshere; Welbeck, Rooney, Sterling

  8. Vote nowpublished at 18:33 British Summer Time 9 October 2014

    England are expected to run up a cricket score this evening, but what would represent a good night's work for Roy Hodgson's men? We want your views on how many goals England should score against San Marino - the world's worst team. You can vote now at the top of this page.

    The vote will close at kick-off and we'll let you know the results once the match is under way. Terms and conditions can be found here.

  9. Double figures?published at 18:25 British Summer Time 9 October 2014

    It is 132 years since England's biggest international win.

    OK CorralImage source, Getty Images

    Pablo Picasso had just been born, Charles Darwin was on his last legs and the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral had just happened in Arizona.

    Ireland - then the world's fourth international side behind England, Scotland and Wales - were handed a 13-0 hiding on their bow on the big stage in Belfast way back in February 1882.

    England also clocked the Irish for a baker's dozen in 1899, though the boys in green managed two of their own that day. Since World War II England have twice reached double figures - but not since hammering the USA in New York City on 27 May 1964.

    But why not again? It may well be said that there are 'no easy games' in international football any more, but that is not really the case.

    Roy Hodgson and his band of gifted, athletic multi-millionaires play San Marino at Wembley this evening - a team from an enclaved microstate with a population smaller than the county of Rutland.

    Shouldn't England be racking up the goals?