Fans expect England to score 10 goals against Malta when the national teams of the two countries clash at Wembley on October 8, according to manager Sam Allardyce.
Scotland beat Malta 5-1 two weeks ago, and that means that Wembley will expect England to score twice as many, the Daily Mirror quoted the new England manager as saying.
“I think the atmosphere is electric when the place is full – they lift the roof off, the England fans. I think what we have to do is try and live up to their expectation," Allardyce said.
“Unfortunately their expectation will be 10-0. I’m not so sure we’ll get anywhere near that, but since Scotland beat them 5-1 in the last game, albeit when they were only playing against nine men, their expectations have gone up since Scotland beat them by five.
“So we have to live with that and try and deliver the best we possibly can. But I’d expect Malta to put up a defensive resilience that we have to try and break down.”
Both teams are in Group F of the World Cup qualifiers. Several Maltese fans are expected to travel to London to watch the match.