The former Bolton Wanderers, West Ham United and Sunderland manager replaced Roy Hodgson as England boss in July after the latter man oversaw a disastrous Euro 2016 campaign in France. The one-time world champions stuttered through the group stage, drawing with Russia and Slovakia and only just about beating Wales with a late winner in stoppage time, before crashing out in the round of 16 in extraordinary fashion by losing 2-1 to minnows and tournament debutants Iceland. Many supporters consider England's failings this summer to be the nadir of a protracted period of underachievement, and Allardyce has a lot of work to do to win those fans back and convince them that the Three Lions are good enough to compete for the World Cup trophy in Russia in two years' time.
Allardyce has decided against naming Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, Everton's Ross Barkley and Manchester United's teenage striker Marcus Rashford in his first England squad, although Joe Hart and Daniel Sturridge have both been included despite a recent lack of game time at club level. A return to the international fold for former captain John Terry was mooted by some but has not materialised, while West Ham United winger Michail Antonio is in line to win his first cap. It will be interesting to see who Allardyce selects and how he sets his team up on Sunday, when followers of the England national side will be looking for clues as to how they might play going forward.
Slovakia – who also reached the first knockout round of the European Championship before suffering a 3-0 defeat by world champions Germany at the Grand Stade Lille Metropole – have named Napoli's Marek Hamsik, Milan's Juraj Kucka and Zenit St Petersburg’s Robert Mak in their group, as well as former Liverpool man Martin Skrtel and veteran defenders Peter Pekarik and Jan Durica. The 0-0 draw they secured against England in the group stage of Euro 2016 was based on sitting deep, ceding possession and denying their opponents space in behind their backline; while they were slightly fortuitous to escape with a point after conceding several good chances, the game plan will probably be very similar this time. They will need to pose more of a threat on the counter-attack, however, both as a means of forcing England back into their own half of the field and relieving pressure on their defensive unit.
Although the Slovaks were able to frustrate England in that aforementioned encounter, it is difficult to see Allardyce beginning his tenure with anything other than a win this weekend. Backing the visitors to the Stadion Antona Malatinskeho to pick up a 2-0 win could be the best betting option from a correct scoreline point of view, with captain Rooney to get his name on the scoresheet any time another wager worth considering.
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