England will take on Lithuania for the Group F clash of the World Cup qualifier at Wembley Stadium on Sunday (26 March).

Where to watch live

Kick-off is set for 5pm BST. Live coverage of the match will be available on ITV 1. Live Radio coverage is available on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Overview

The Three Lions will look to continue their unbeaten run when they take of Group F's fourth placed team on Sunday. England will go into the match as favourites to win against the 107<sup>th ranked team, and would like to take all three points from it.

Gareth Southgate made some bold decisions during his team selection for the game leaving out seasoned internationals Wayne Rooney and Theo Walcott, while bringing veteran striker Jermain Defoe back into the fold.

Phil Jones and Chris Smalling suffered injuries after being called up for international duty, and the manager will have to rely on young duo John Stones and Michael Keane to marshal their defence.

Jermain Defoe
Jermain Defoe could make his first appearance for England since 2013 Getty

Defoe is being tipped for his first England start since 2013 with Marcus Rashford expected to provide backup from the bench. Deli Alli and Adam Lallana are guaranteed starters after impressing during England's recent loss against Germany in a friendly in Dortmund.

Lithuania manager Edgaras Jankauskas has made it clear that his team are seeking an upset when they face England at Wembley. The manager cited the Three Lions' loss to Iceland in the European Championships and revealed that they will use it as an example on Sunday night.

The 107<sup>th ranked team have lost just one of their qualifiers thus far – against Slovakia – while managing draws against Scotland and Slovenia before beating Malta. However, they have a massive task at hand as England have not lost a qualifier game since 2009 going 33 games without a defeat across World Cup and European Championship qualifier campaigns.

Prediction - England to win.

What managers say

Gareth Southgate [on Hart being captain]: "I had to think seriously because we have a squad with some emerging leaders," said the England boss.

"I've spoken about sharing the responsibility around the squad, and even some of the youngest players in the squad have been able to talk openly around the squad this week. Joe has shown great maturity in the way he has recovered from his own disappointment last summer.

"He's playing well for his club, his performances have been excellent, and he's respected in the group. Some people question having a goalkeeper as captain but I had Jack Butland in the Under-21s, and you're looking for professionalism throughout the week, not just on matchday," via BBC Sport.

Edgaras Jankauskas: "Iceland would be a great example to follow. It's the example to follow but it will be an extremely tough game for us.

First of all it's a privilege to play at such a legendary stadium and probably one of the best stadiums in the world. There are always chances and chances depend on us, (there are) many examples where not necessarily the favourites win the game," via the Daily Mail.

Betting odds (betfair)

  • England to win: 1/12
  • Lithuania to win: 33
  • Draw: 17/2

Team news

England

Probable Lineup: Hart; Walker, Keane, Stones, Bertrand; Dier, Alli, Lallana; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sterling, Defoe.

Lithuania

Probable Lineup: Setkus, Borovik, Vaitkunas, Klimavicius, Slivka, Kuklys, Zulpa, Novikov, Valskis, Chernykh, Matulevicius.

England