2014 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFYING GROUP H



  • Venue: Wembley Stadium

  • Date: Tuesday, 15 October

  • Kick-off: 20:00 BST


Coverage: BBC Sport website live text & BBC Radio 5 live commentary



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England manager Roy Hodgson is confident Andros Townsend will be fit for Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Poland.


The Tottenham winger, 22, picked up a knock in Friday's win over Montenegro.


"We'll monitor [the knock] but we are very hopeful he will be fit to play," Hodgson said.


Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole, 32, will miss the game because of a rib injury that also kept him out of the Montenegro game.


Everton's Leighton Baines will continue in the position after playing there on Friday.




Baines ready for 'tough' Poland game



Manchester United team-mates Chris Smalling and Phil Jones are vying to replace suspended Tottenham defender Kyle Walker at right-back.


Liverpool's Raheem Sterling was also called up from the Under-21 squad to replace Tom Cleverley, who sustained a calf problem on Thursday.


Cleverley missed the 4-1 victory over Montenegro on Friday.


England must beat Poland at Wembley to secure automatic qualification for next summer's World Cup finals in Brazil.


Baines, who was capped for the 20th time against Montenegro, is confident he will turn in another assured display on Tuesday in Cole's absence.


"The manager feels we can both do the job," he said. "That's all that matters really - that the job gets done.


"Qualifying for a World Cup is as big a carrot as you could probably dangle in front of any player.


"World Cups don't come around too often in a player's career. Everyone is hungry for that opportunity to get there and we are one game away.


"We know what job needs to be done and hopefully we will do it."


Hodgson wants England to complete the task in hand and avoid having to qualify via the play-offs.


"We must make sure we complete it against Poland and I am sure we will," he said.


"Even though they are out of the running and have nothing to play for, I can't imagine they will take their foot off the pedal."


Jamaica-born Sterling became the fifth-youngest player to play for England when he started the 4-2 friendly defeat in Sweden last November, aged 17 years and 342 days.



World Cup Qualifying Group H































































Played Won Points GD

England



9



5



19



+25



Ukraine



9



5



18



+16



Montenegro



9



4



15



+4



Poland



9



3



13



+8



Moldova



9



2



8



-8



San Marino



9



0



0



-45






He has not featured for his country since, but was part of the squad that beat Moldova and drew in Ukraine last month.


Sterling was named in the Under-21 squad for the Euro 2015 qualifiers against San Marino and Lithuania, helping Gareth Southgate's side win the first of those games 4-0 on Thursday.


Poland held England to a 1-1 draw when the teams last met a year ago in Warsaw, when the qualifier was rescheduled after torrential rain washed out the original date for the game.


England captain Steven Gerrard says Poland cannot be taken lightly, despite being out of contention for a place at the World Cup finals.


"They'll be coming to Wembley, they'll want to beat England, they'll want to be the team that stops us going to a World Cup," he said.


"We won't be thinking they're going to take their foot off the gas."


Poland will be without injured defender Lukasz Piszczek, but coach Waldemar Fornalik, who could be in charge for the last time, is more concerned about scoring goals.


He said: "I am thinking of the points and a win. Nothing else will do in any match."