As England take on Malta at Wembley on Saturday, we take a closer look at Gareth Southgates first opponents. [url=http://www.sho

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As England take on Malta at Wembley on Saturday, we take a closer look at Gareth Southgates first opponents. Damontre Moore Jersey . Southgates side are heavy favourites for a second win in World Cup qualifying Group F, but what can we expect from the Mediterranean minnows?World ranking: 176 Highest ranking 66 (September 1995)Lowest ranking: 176 (present)Whats their current standing?Starved of recent success, Pietro Ghedins side did give Scotland a scare for 45 minutes in September, equalising in Attard before falling to a 5-1 defeat.Malta have won a grand total of two competitive games since 1993, have never qualified for a major tournament and managed only three goals in their 10 Euro 2016 qualifying encounters. Scotland saw off Malta 5-1 last month The chances of a draw are also slim. They held Bulgaria in Euro 2018 qualifying, but their previous points came in a 1-0 win over Armenia in 2013.Maltas population - 425,000 - is among the smallest of those competing in World Cup qualifiers in Europe, below Luxembourg, Cyprus, Estonia and Macedonia, but larger than the likes of San Marino, Liechtenstein, Faroe Islands, Andorra and Iceland.Theyre 20/1 with Sky Bet to get a famous draw at Wembley, and 50/1 for the win. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. Have England played Malta before?Richard Wright, look away now. One of the goalkeepers two caps came in Englands pre-Euro 2000 friendly in Attard, a 2-1 win which saw Malta equalise through Wrights own goal, the ball coming off the post from a penalty and crossing the line via the back of his head.Martin Keown had given England the lead, before Emile Heskeys winner 15 minutes from time. Martin Keown scored in Englands 2-1 win in Malta in 2000 Kevin Phillips and Dennis Wise started for Kevin Keegans side, while Michael Owen was an unused substitute as England prepared for the tournament in Belgium and the Netherlands nine days later.Previous to that, England hit Malta for five in May 1971 in Euro 72 qualifying, the goals coming from Martin Chivers (2), Colin Lee, Allan Clarke and Chris Lawler in front of 40,000 at Wembley, after a narrow 1-0 win in Malta three months earlier, thanks to Martin Peters first-half strike.Any players to look out for?Michael Mifsud, who has 40 goals in 113 caps, is football royalty in Malta.Best remembered on these shores for his two-year stint at Coventry, where he scored both goals in the Sky Blues 2-0 win at Manchester United in the third round of the EFL Cup in 2007/08, Mifsud rarely gets a start for the national team nowadays. Malta captain Michael Mifsud should make a cameo appearance More likely to start for Ghedins side is Alfred Effiong, the 31-year-old Nigerian-born striker whose superb header brought Malta level against Scotland, while forward Andre Schembri, currently plying his trade at Boavista, could cause problems. However, Luke Gambin, the 23-year-old winger currently playing up the road at Barnet, will miss the short trip to Wembley after a needless sending off late in the defeat by Scotland.What has the manager said?Ghedin, speaking ahead of the clash at Wembley, said of interim manager Gareth Southgate: I know of him, he was an intelligent player and he did well as Under 21 coach. I think he is a good manager.We know it will be a tough game against England. They run a lot, they are very cunning, for me they are one of the best teams in Europe. Manager Pietro Ghedin was full of praise for the injured Adam Lallana We will try to give our best every time and I hope we leave the pitch with our head held high knowing we have given everything.However, Ghedin believes England will be without one of their best players in Adam Lallana, who has been ruled out with a groin injury.I love him because he is a cunning player, he gets in the right positions, has good timing, he said. There is a knack to do what he does, to score, play the right passes, little one-twos.You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the Japan Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: Rooney hits back at Big Sam Shearers right, were a joke England latest England fixtures Travis Frederick Jersey . The Padres made the moves before Fridays game at Washington. They promoted infielder Jace Peterson from Double-A San Antonio and right-hander Kevin Quackenbush from Triple-A El Paso. Rico Gathers Jersey . The rookie is rewarding their faith with a stellar first season. MacKinnon had a goal and two assists, Jamie McGinn had two goals and an assist, and Colorado beat the Buffalo Sabres 7-1 on Saturday. http://www.shoptheofficialcowboys.com/Elite-Chris-Jones-Cowboys-Jersey/ . Scott scored a career-high 30 points, Jeff Teague added 28 and the Hawks rallied to beat the New York Knicks 107-98 on Saturday night. "We were down Paul, down so many bodies," Scott said.WASHINGTON - Infielder Yunel Escobar is heading to the Nationals, and All-Star reliever Tyler Clippard is going to the Athletics, thanks to the ninth deal between those clubs in a little more than four years.The swap, announced Wednesday, gives Washington a player who could solve its search for a starting second baseman. Escobar could wind up at shortstop for the Nationals if they wind up trading away — or fail to agree to a new contract with — Ian Desmond, who can become a free agent after next season.The As just picked up Escobar from Tampa Bay, along with Ben Zobrist, in a trade Saturday that sent catcher John Jaso and two minor leaguers to the Rays.Among the players who have been part of the Oakland-Washington pipeline since December 2010 as As general manager Billy Beane and Nationals GM Mike Rizzo strike deal after deal: Gio Gonzalez, Josh Willingham, Kurt Suzuki, Jerry Blevins, Tommy Milone and Derek Norris. Beanes been busy reconfiguring Oaklands roster lately, making eight trades involving more than 20 players since the As lost in the AL wild-card game.The 32-year-old Escobar hit .258 with seven homers and 39 RBIs for Tampa Bay last season. He has played eight years in the majors, including with Atlanta and Toronto, mostly at shortstop. Escobar did start 20 games at second base for the Braves in 2007.Escobar was suspended for three games in 2012 for wearing eye black displaying an anti-gay slur while playing for the Blue Jays.The right-handed Clippard, Washingtons eighth-inning setup man, wennt 7-4 with a 2. Joe Looney Jersey. 18 ERA in 75 appearances in 2014. He was an NL All-Star in 2011 and 2014.On Twitter, Clippard wrote: Would love to take this opportunity to thank all the #nats fans. ... I loved every second of my time in DC, through the ups and downs the good and bad, every second was wonderful. Thanks forever Nats Nation!The 29-year-old is 37-25 with a 2.88 ERA and 34 saves in eight big league seasons, one with the New York Yankees and the last seven with the Nationals.He is the only reliever to pitch in more than 70 games each of the past five seasons.The As already have an All-Star closer in left-hander Sean Doolittle, who saved 22 games last season. Adding Clippard fills the void left by the departure of Luke Gregerson, who signed with Houston as a free agent, and gives Oakland a late-inning lefty-righty combination.With Escobar leaving before playing an inning in Oakland, Marcus Semien — acquired in the December deal that sent starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija to the White Sox — probably will take over at shortstop instead of being used in a utility role.The Nationals, meanwhile, will need to figure out who will be their main setup man in place of Clippard, a key cog in their runs to NL East titles in 2012 and 2014.In a swap of minor leaguers earlier Wednesday, the Nationals acquired catcher Dan Butler from the Boston Red Sox for left-hander Danny Rosenbaum, who had Tommy John surgery in May.___AP Sports Writers Janie McCauley and Josh Dubow contributed to this report. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '