England’s qualification for next year’s World Cup finals, with games to spare, had looked like a formality but two draws in their last three Group I qualifiers has raised the stakes ahead of Friday’s home clash with Albania.

Gareth Southgate’s side need four points from their final two fixtures to guarantee winning the group and with an away fixture against San Marino on Monday it is hardly a tall order.

Yet with injuries and illness disrupting Southgate’s plans and an in-form Albania still eyeing qualification, the Wembley clash takes on greater significance.

England have won each of their five meetings against Albania but the Balkan side are third in the standings having done the double over Hungary and losing narrowly to second-placed Poland.

Should Edoardo Reja’s side pull off a surprise victory at Wembley and Poland beat Andorra it would leave England and Poland level on points ahead of next week’s final fixtures.

Even in that scenario, England would likely bolster their goal difference sufficiently against San Marino to crawl across the line, but the momentum has definitely slowed.

Southgate will be without midfielder Declan Rice through illness on Friday and most probably Mason Mount, who has had dental surgery, while full back Luke Shaw is a major doubt because of concussion protocols. “Training’s been good. We’ve had a few players who have had to withdraw but we’ve been dealing with that. It’s never straightforward, we’ve just got on with it,” Southgate said.

Messi boost

Argentina’s Lionel Messi has recovered from the knee and hamstring worries that kept him out of Paris Saint-Germain’s last two games and is in line to start in their qualifier against Uruguay on Friday.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said staff had worked separately with the 34-year-old Messi to prepare him for the mouth-watering double header against Uruguay in Montevideo and next Tuesday’s game at home to Brazil.

“In principle, we believe that Leo is fine,” Scaloni told reporters.

“Leo wants to play and I want him to play.”

Cup qualifiers

Europe

⚫ Moldova vs Scotland (10:30 pm IST, Friday)

⚫ Northern Ireland vs Lithuania

⚫ Italy vs Switzerland

⚫ Denmark vs Faroe Islands

⚫ Austria vs Israel

⚫ Andorra vs Poland

⚫ Hungary vs San Marino

⚫ England vs Albania

Note: All matches at 1.15am IST on Saturday, unless otherwise mentioned