Saido Berahino and Theo Walcott Named in England Squad for Slovenia and Scotland

Roy Hodgson has named Saido Berahino, Theo Walcott and Stewart Downing in his England squad for the Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia and friendly tie with Scotland.

The team's official Twitter account confirmed Hodgson's 26-man squad ahead of two interesting fixtures for the Three Lions:

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... @Alex_OxChambo, @sterling31, @andros_townsend, @theowalcott, @JackWilshere, @SBerahino, Rickie Lambert, @WayneRooney, Danny Welbeck 3/3

— England (@england) November 6, 2014"

Raheem Sterling retains his place in the squad despite drawing criticism for admitting he was too tired to face Estonia last time out. Hodgson was berated for his decision to publicly reveal this and embarked on a regrettable back and forth with Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers in a situation which was blown out of proportion.

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Sterling joins the likes of Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck as England's most important forwards, particularly as Daniel Sturridge remains sidelined for the upcoming matches. Hodgson presumed Sturridge wasn't fit and told Rodgers not to respond when leaving him out of the squad, per Henry Winter of The Telegraph:

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Hodgson left message with Rodgers last night assuming Sturridge not fit, so not picked by #eng, and 'don't call back'. Rodgers didn't. #lfc

— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) November 6, 2014"

Berahino is currently the Premier League's top-scoring Englishman with seven goals in 10 appearances for West Bromwich Albion, per WhoScored.com.

The 21-year-old has been rewarded with his first senior call-up after some stellar performances and makes the squad after netting against Liverpool, Manchester United and others. He has been key for Gareth Southgate's England under-21 side and possesses excellent movement and composure to provide an intriguing alternative for Hodgson.

Walcott recently returned to action for Arsenal after missing the last nine months with cruciate ligament damage. He has played just 10 minutes for the Gunners this season, noted by WhoScored, but he can use the two fixtures as an opportunity to regain fitness.

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Downing has posted an impressive run of form with West Ham United, producing two goals and four assists this season. He returns to the squad after a two-year hiatus and is joined by Michael Carrick, who has recently made his comeback from injury with Manchester United.

Hodgson explained Carrick's inclusion, per Winter:

One notable absentee is Liverpool's Glen Johnson, who appears to have fallen behind Nathaniel Clyne and Calum Chambers in the running at right-back. Hodgson suggested he hasn't played enough times for the Reds to be considered—with just four starts in the Premier League this season—per Daniel Taylor of the Guardian:

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Hodgson explains Glen Johnson omission because "he has situation at Liverpool where he sometimes plays sometimes doesn't." Chambers/Clyne in

— Daniel Taylor (@DTguardian) November 6, 2014"

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Hodgson talked about the side in a press conference on Thursday, according to FA TV:

England are currently top of their qualifying group for Euro 2016 after posting an unblemished record across three matches. An impressive victory over Switzerland was followed by October's successes against minnows San Marino and Estonia, providing Hodgson's side with a three-point lead over Slovenia at the top of Group E.

The side are yet to concede a goal and have made steady progress since disappointing at the World Cup. Slovenia lost their opening away match against Estonia 1-0 before posting a home win over the Swiss and away success at Lithuania, conceding just the single strike so far.

As such, the Wembley date on Nov. 15 will provide both teams with the chance to stamp their authority at the group's summit. "It would be nice to go through this qualifying campaign unbeaten," noted Hodgson, per Matt Law of The Telegraph.

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England take a qualifying back seat three days after the Slovenia tie and will travel to neighbours Scotland for a potentially tempestuous "friendly" encounter.

This will be the first meeting between the two sides in Scotland since 1999. Paul Scholes' brace saw the hosts off at Hampden Park that day, but a cauldron-like atmosphere and plenty of expectation will see the Scots put up an almighty battle on Nov. 18.

England narrowly defeated their rivals 3-2 at Wembley in 2013, which saw debutant Rickie Lambert nod home the winner. Highlights of that entertaining match can be seen below:

Supporters will undoubtedly crave results over performances in both matches. Even so, England should be capable of dominating against opponents who are currently ranked 36th and 37th in the world respectively.

Character will be key for Hodgson's favourites, who should take confidence from a recent run of positive results.