Roy Hodgson admits England have 'a lot of factors' to take into account as they ready themselves for an away date in Moldova.
England boss aware that tough test awaits in Moldova
Roy Hodgson admits England have 'a lot of factors' to take into account as they ready themselves for an away date in Moldova.
The Three Lions begin their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign in Chisinau on Friday.
Fears as to the standard of the pitch awaiting them have already been raised, with the playing surface expected to be testing even for international performers.
Hodgson, though, is aware that such obstacles have to be overcome.
He has also been quick to point out that his England side - currently ranked third in the world by FIFA - will be taking nothing for granted in a fixture they are tipped to win comfortably.
Preparation
"There are a lot of factors when you go to a place like Moldova," said Hodgson.
"What's the stadium going to be like? What's the atmosphere going to be like? What's the pitch going to be like? How good are these players?
"We have to relate that to the players we choose and make sure they go into the game with the best possible preparation.
"I know that outside of our little group who are preparing for the game there will be a lot of thought that Moldova are not very special, not very strong, but we certainly don't go into the game with that thought at all.
"We go into the game knowing they had a draw and a narrow defeat against Holland in the last qualifying campaign."
