Montenegro vs. England: Three Lions Will Back into Euro 2012 with a Draw

With just one game to play in qualifying, England needs but one point to qualify for the Euro 2012 group stage. However, opponents Montenegro are also in control of their own destiny, as wins over England and Switzerland would allow them to qualify.

The two sides played to a spirited draw in October 2010 at Wembley Stadium. However, England will have to deal with a hostile environment in this match, as Montenegro will serve as the host nation.

Stakes will be much higher in this meeting, since both sides need a positive result in order to advance. There is no question that England is the more talented side, but the feisty Montenegrins played them tough last time. What's more, that was without the services of star strikers Mirko Vucinic and Stevan Jovetic.  

Both Vucinic and Jovetic will be available on Friday, and Montenegro will surely push the pace due to the fact that a win is an absolute necessity.

England's back line has been questioned recently as Rio Ferdinand isn't in the squad and a number of defenders have played poorly with their respective club teams.

This English side certainly has the ability to put up a crooked number in terms of scoring, with the likes of Wayne Rooney and Ashley Cole in the lineup. However, they may be content to sit back and try for a 0-0 draw, while playing in a hostile environment.

That said, Montenegro is extremely vulnerable after a surprising qualifying loss to Wales last month and another 3-2 loss to Albania in a friendly in September. As a result of the loss to Wales, Montenegro has essentially put itself in a win or go home situation.

England is obviously in the driver's seat, as the team would have to lose to Montenegro and see Montenegro also defeat Switzerland in order to fail to advance. The odds of that happening are quite low. Even a loss wouldn't be the end of the world for the Three Lions.

Thanks to their big-match experience, England should be able to weather whatever storm Montenegro brings to the pitch and advance to Euro 2012 in the process.