Saturday 13 June 2015 08:37, UK
England's tenth and final game of the 2014/15 season, and it's one where they can take another giant stride towards qualifying for Euro 2016.
At the moment Roy Hodgson's side lead Group E with 15 points from five games. Their nearest challengers are Switzerland and Slovenia who are both on nine points.
Victory in Ljublijana on Sunday will extend their lead over Slovenia to nine points, leaving only Switzerland with a realistic possibility of overhauling England (those two meet at Wembley on September 8).
Speaking to the England players this week it was clear they really wanted to complete the season unbeaten and so far their record is seven wins and two draws. It would be the perfect response to last summer's dire World Cup campaign and be a good indication of the progress the team have made since then.
So, can they do it? Slovenia are 48th in the FIFA rankings, which means England will start as favourites, but the hosts have won both home qualifiers so far. They also showed at Wembley back in November that they carry a threat -Slovenia took the lead in the second half, before a three-goal blitz from Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck (2) saw England home.
Talking of Rooney, the England captain has scored four goals in the five qualifiers. He has seven for the season, 47 in total, and is closing in fast on the all-time record of 49 currently held by Sir Bobby Charlton.
What a way to finish the season if Rooney could score a hat-trick and become the first Englishman to score 50 international goals! Two would equal Sir Bobby's landmark, one would bring Rooney alongside Gary Lineker in second place with 48. Having said all that Rooney is the archetypal team player and would settle for not scoring in the next five qualifiers, if England won all of them!
The Arsenal pair of Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere could hold the key. Wilshere looked England's best player against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin last Sunday, and another mature performance at the heart of the midfield could help set up the three points. Walcott only got on for a few minutes in Ireland, but he's bang in form and raring to go. His pace may unsettle Slovenia's defence.
A draw wouldn't be the worst result in the world, but make no mistake: England will be pushing for the victory which will leave them on the brink of qualifying for next year's championships in France. If they achieve that, then their summer holidays will be just that little bit sweeter.
