After breezing past San Marino and Albania, England face their biggest World Cup qualifying test yet when they host Poland this Wednesday at Wembley Stadium.
The Three Lions have taken maximum points from their first two qualifying games without conceding a goal, but are up against their closest Group rivals this time.
Gareth Southgate’s side alongside Poland have been marked as favourites to progress to the next tournament in Qatar next year. However, they enter this tie intending to make a statement and establishing themselves as group favourites.
Poland will consider themselves England’s toughest opponents in this group. They sit second in the group standings after taking four points from their first two games and will look to avoid the gap between them and their hosts widening when they travel to Wembley.
However, they will have to do so without their captain and in-form striker Robert Lewandowski who misses out through a knee injury. The Bayern striker has been unstoppable in recent times and scored two times in their last match against Andorra.
The Poles will however trust Krzysztof Piątek to lead the line in the absence of Lewandowski.
England holds a superior head-to-head advantage in this tie as they have won all but one of their meetings with Poland, with Poland’s last and only victory coming in their first-ever encounter in 1973.