Allardyce keeps faith with Euro flops

Sam Allardyce is set to keep faith with eight of the side that started England’s Euro 2016 defeat to Iceland when he names his team in Slovakia tomorrow.

Of the XI who started the dismal 2-1 defeat in Nice, it is believed only Chris Smalling, Dele Alli and Daniel Sturridge have been stood down.

Joe Hart, who joined Torino on loan after slipping to third in the pecking order at Manchester City, might well have joined them but Fraser Forster’s withdrawal with an arm injury leaves him as the sole established goalkeeper.

With Smalling out of the Manchester United team, Allardyce has settled on a defensive pairing of Gary Cahill and John Stones.

Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson is due to return in midfield alongside Eric Dier, with Adam Lallana restored in a rejigged forward line.

Allardyce plans to use captain Wayne Rooney in the same No 10 role he has been playing at Manchester United and that leaves no room for Alli.

England look likely to begin with a 4-2-3-1 formation similar to United’s, with Harry Kane leading the line.

Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland begin their campaign in the Czech Republic.

It is their first fixture since the Euros, where goalkeeper Michael McGovern grabbed the headlines with an inspired performance against Germany, yet the 32-year-old is not focused on reminiscing about that day.

“The Euros is over and done with, in the past,” he stated.

“We’ve had a taste of success and you want more. It’s a brilliant opportunity to build on it.

“We’ve never gone into a World Cup qualifying campaign with such confidence.”

Midfielder Michael Duffy, on loan at Dundee from Celtic, pulled out of O’Neill’s squad with a thigh strain.

Sam Allardyce: stands by eight of the team from Nice.