Euro 2016 qualifiers: England avoid big guns

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England manager Roy Hodgson will meet his former team Switzerland in Group E of the 2016 European Championship qualfying campaign.

Hodgson enjoyed great success with the Swiss, leading them to the knockout stages of the 1994 World Cup. He would have enjoyed this draw in Nice, France, yesterday almost as much.

The English were treated to a group without serious rivals and bereft of banana skins. Even they can’t mess this one up. Slovenia represent the only possible problem.

England had to work hard to beat them in the group stages of the 2010 World Cup and they performed reasonably well in qualifying for next year’s tournament, finishing third behind Iceland and Switzerland.

But, given that teams of the quality of Turkey, Poland and Serbia were in the third pot, it’s fair to say that Hodgson can be very pleased with himself.

Estonia, Lithuania and San Marino, the other nations in Group E, will present no significant difficulties. Unless something extraordinary happens, this group will offer few surprises.

The same could not be said elsewhere. Scotland, resurgent under Gordon Strachan’s management, found themselves drawn into a hellish pool with Germany, Poland and the Republic of Ireland.

EURO 2016 QUALIFYING GROUPS

GROUP A
- Holland, Czech Rep, Turkey, Latvia, Iceland, Kazakhstan

GROUP B
- Bosnia, Belgium, Israel, Wales, Cyprus, Andorra

GROUP C
- Spain, Ukraine, Slovakia, Belarus, Macedonia, Luxembourg

GROUP D
- Germany, Ireland, Poland, Scotland, Georgia, Gibraltar

GROUP E
- England, Switzerland, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, San Marino

GROUP F
- Greece, Hungary, Romania, Finland, Northern Ireland, Faroe Islands

GROUP G
- Russia, Sweden, Austria, Montenegro, Moldova, Liechtenstein

GROUP H
- Italy, Croatia, Norway, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Malta

GROUP I**
- Portugal, Denmark, Serbia, Armenia, Albania

* Top two teams from each group and the best 3rd-placed team qualify automatically for the Finals. Other eight 3rd-placed teams will contest for remaining four Finals slots.

** France qualify as hosts but will play friendlies against Group I teams.

*** Qualifying period: Sept 7, 2014 — Oct 13, 2015