Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Euro 2016 qualifying match as the top two sides in Group E go head-to-head at Wembley. Both sides have made promising starts to their respective campaigns and will be looking to take one step closer to the tournament in France with a win this afternoon. Let's start with a look at our hosts...

England's rebuilding from their hugely disappointing World Cup campaign will continue this afternoon, and you'd have to say that so far they have done a decent job of it. The Three Lions finished bottom of their group in Brazil, with their solitary point coming in a dead rubber against Costa Rica in the final match. Big questions were raised over the future of English football following that display, but while performances are still a little tepid, there can be no arguing with the results since Brazil.

Indeed, England have a 100% record since the World Cup, with four victories from four. Three of those have come in the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, putting them top of the group by three points after just three matches. Considering that they have already emerged from their most difficult game on paper - away to Switzerland - with a victory, there should be no reason why England can't make it a perfect qualifying campaign now.

Of course, it is not quite as simple as that, but England do seem to be digging out results when not necessarily playing too well. A perfect example of that came in their last outing when they were frustrated by lowly Estonia for long periods, but Wayne Rooney popped up with the all-important strike to give the Three Lions the victory. For a long time now, England fans have been demanding improved performances, so that will be next on the list for Hodgson, but right now the results are as good as he could hope for.

They are, in fact, on course for their best run for six years, having not won five games in a row since 2008. The last time they won four in a row was back in 2009, while defensively they are on the verge of being as sound as they ever have been. A clean sheet this afternoon would make it a record-equalling six games in a row without conceding for Roy Hodgson's side, a run that began with the goalless draw against Costa Rica in Brazil. The last time anyone scored past England was Luis Suarez's 85th-minute winner for Uruguay in the second group game.

That makes it 455 minutes without conceding for the Three Lions, which of course means that their defence is yet to be breached in the qualifying campaign for the Euros. They are one of just three teams, alongside Croatia and Iceland, yet to concede a goal in the European section, while things are going well at the other end too. Their tally of eight goals for - helped largely by the 5-0 win over minnows San Marino - is double the amount the next highest scorers have managed.

England's results at home have been equally impressive, with Hodgson boasting a 100% record at Wembley this year. The last defeat in front of their own fans came at the hands of Germany almost a year ago today, since when they have won all four of their matches, scoring 10 goals and conceding none. They have not won five home games in a row since a fine spell of nine consecutive victories from 2008-10, while they have only lost one qualifying match at home since 2000 - a run of 33 games.

That defeat was a 3-2 loss at the hands of Croatia in 2007, a result that cost England their place at Euro 2008 and Steve McClaren his job. However, that was now seven years ago, and England haven't lost any of their last 11 Euro qualifiers nor any of their last 22 qualifiers including those for the World Cup. Still, though, they are ranked 20th in the world as things stand, which is their lowest ranking since June 1996.

They are still 16 places above Slovenia, however, and it would be a major surprise if the visitors were to pick up a victory this afternoon. They have never beaten or even drawn against England before, and won't be expecting to compete with the Three Lions for top spot in Group E, despite was has been a fairly promising start to the campaign for Srecko Katanec's men.

They currently sit second in the group with six points from their three matches, meaning that a shock win today would see them draw level with England at the top. They began things in very disappointing fashion as they lost 1-0 to Estonia in their opening match, but since then they have improved to put themselves very much in the race for a qualifying spot. Perhaps their most important victory came with a late goal to beat Switzerland 1-0, while last time out they beat Lithuania fairly comfortably.

Only time will tell how costly the Estonia defeat could prove to be, but Slovenia have certainly responded well, and victory over Switzerland will have made England sit up and take notice. Today's visitors have only conceded once in their three group games so far and, while their tally of three goals isn't going to strike fear in England's defence, Slovenia will know that if they keep things tight at the back again then they will have a chance today.

Slovenia's matches do tend to go one way or the other, with their last draw coming way back in May 2012, when they shared the spoils with Greece. They also haven't had a match in which both teams have scored since June 2013, 12 games ago, so when they keep clean sheets they tend to win. That will likely be their game plan again today, and it will be up to England to break them down.

Victory today would see them pick up three wins in a row for the first time in more than a year, but overall they do have a pretty good record in competitive fixtures. They have won six of their last eight qualifying games, including the impressive victory over Switzerland in this campaign, so they certainly are no pushovers. They do tend to be second or third best in the group, however, which explains why they haven't qualified for a major tournament in so long.

Katanec will be pleased to have got an away win under his belt last time out against Lithuania too. That 2-0 victory saw his side end a run of five straight defeats on the road, which stretched back more than a year. To add insult to injury, they had failed to score in any of those five defeats, so Novakovic's opening strike against Lithuania was their first away goal for over 12 months. Of course, Wembley provides a much tougher test than Lithuania away, but it will still do Slovenia's confidence good to have got that win.

They won't have too fond memories of facing England, though, having been knocked out of the World Cup at the hands of the Three Lions in 2010. Fabio Capello's side edged to a 1-0 victory courtesy of a Defoe strike in South Africa in what was a winner-takes-all final group game. England's triumph took them into the knockout rounds, where they were comprehensively dispatched by Germany.

TEAM NEWS: Right, the team news is in for both sides, and the headlines revolve around Wayne Rooney as usual. The skipper starts up front for his 100th cap, alongside former United teammate Danny Welbeck. There is also a debut for Nathaniel Clyne at right-back, while Raheem Sterling returns to the starting lineup. For Estonia, Novakovic leads the line as expected. Full team news for both sides coming right up...

ENGLAND STARTING XI: Hart; Clyne, Cahill, Jagielka, Gibbs; Henderson, Wilshere; Lallana, Rooney, Sterling; Welbeck

SLOVENIA STARTING XI: Handanovic; Brecko, Cesar, Ilic, Struna; Kurtic, Mertelj, Birsa, Kirm; Kampl; Novakovic

There really is only one place to start when talking about the teams, and that is Rooney becoming the ninth member of England's centurion club. He joins a legendary list of names to have reached that milestone, and boasts the honour of being the youngest to do so. Indeed, he is the first to win 100 caps for England while still in his 20s, and you can be sure that there are quite a few more to come.

He may well have his eye on Peter Shilton's record of 125 caps overall, but the record that is making the headlines right now is Bobby Charlton's goalscoring one. Rooney comes into this game having netted 43 times for his country, putting him fourth on the overall list. He is just one short of the great Jimmy Greaves and five and six short of Gary Lineker and Charlton respectively. It is surely only a matter of time before he breaks it, and he could well overtake Greaves if things go to plan today.

From a 100th cap to a first, and there is a deserved place for Nathaniel Clyne in the side today. Southampton have made a magnificent start to the Premier League season and boast by far the best defensive record in the division, so it is only right that Clyne has been rewarded for being a part of that. He is preferred to former teammate Calum Chambers at right-back and will be hoping to do enough to keep his place for the Scotland game on Tuesday. He was selected ahead of Glen Johnson in the squad, and his inclusion from the start today is a big vote of confidence from Hodgson.

Elsewhere for England, Raheem Sterling's inclusion is sure to attract a bit of attention having complained of fatigue before their last outing against Estonia. It will be interesting to see whether there are any negative vibes towards the youngster from the home crowd today, although I think the majority understood that a lot was been asked of the teenager so early in his career. Regardless of that controversy, he has quickly developed in one of England's most important players, and he could be key to unlocking Slovenia today.

Sterling is joined in the side by Liverpool teammates Henderson and Lallana, the latter of whom is an interesting inclusion considering his struggled to get a start for his club side at the moment. Even so, he has held off the challenge of Oxlade-Chamberlain and even Stewart Downing, who is back in the international set-up for the first time since 2012. They are both on the bench, as is Saido Berahino, who could make his senior debut today.

In defence, Gibbs is included as England's only real option at left-back following the withdrawal of Baines through injury. The Everton full-back was forced out of the squad less than half an hour after UEFA's deadline for the 23-man list had passed, meaning that Hodgson was unable to call Luke Shaw back. The Manchester United defender will be available for the Scotland game, however, so Gibbs will still face competition for his place next time around. Cahill and Jagielka, meanwhile, are Hodgson's preferred duo at centre-back and once again fill the gap in front of undisputed number one Joe Hart.

As far as Slovenia are concerned, their main dangerman will be Novakovic up front. The strike is no spring chicken at 35, but he is still a vitally important player for the visitors having scored all three of their goals in qualifying so far. Indeed, he has scored 28 of the 34 international goals scored by all four of the strikers in the Slovenia squad combined. England will need to keep an eye on him today as he will snap up most chances that fall his way.

At the other end of the pitch, Handanovic in goal could prove to be a vital player for the visitors tonight. They are expected to come under a lot of pressure, most of which they may invite on themselves, and the likelihood is that England will break through a couple of times. Slovenia will need the Inter Milan keeper to be on top form is they are to get anything from this match.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes from kickoff at Wembley, which means that it is time for a prediction! England come into this match as heavy favourites and, while any fan will be wary of putting the Three Lions as dead certs considering some of their recent performances, it would be a major shock if they were not to win this game. It may not be pretty once again, but I do expect the hosts to emerge victorious. I'll go for a 2-0 win for England.

I also think that Rooney will get at least one of those goals to draw level, and perhaps surpass Greaves tonight. That would be a special way to mark his 100th cap, and we have done our own little tribute to the skipper ahead of tonight's game:

Wayne #Rooney makes his 100th appearance for #England against #Slovenia at #Wembley this evening. Follow the game live @ bit.ly/ENG-vs-SLO #waynerooney#100up#3lions#mufc#manutd#manunited#manchesterunited#rooney10#rooney100

A photo posted by Sports Mole (@sportsmole) on Nov 11, 2014 at 8:42am PST

In addition to that victory for England in the group stages of the 2010 World Cup, these two sides have met one other time before as well. It came in a friendly in September 2009 on English soil, and once again it was the hosts who won that game. Lampard, another member of the century club, and Defoe netted for England that day in a 2-1 victory.

There are eight other Euro 2016 qualifying matches taking place today, four of which also kick off at 5pm this afternoon. I will keep you up to date with major events from those matches, keeping a particularly close eye on the other Group E match that sees San Marino host Estonia.

Sir Bobby Charlton presents Rooney with his 100th cap before the national anthems kick in. What a proud moment for the skipper, who will be hoping to cap the milestone with a goal. We're just about ready to go at Wembley!

There have been concerns over the Wembley pitch following the recent NFL matches at the stadium, and it must be said that those concerns may well be warranted. It will be interesting to see how it holds up today.

KICKOFF: The newest England centurion Rooney gets this game underway alongside Welbeck as the hosts look to maintain their 100% start to the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.

Really bright start from England as they begin the match with pace and intent. Sterling has made a couple of decent contributions from the tip of the diamond already, linking up well with Welbeck in front of him.

It is Slovenia's turn to play some nice football now as they knock it about inside the England half before Birsa floats a pass towards the back post. Kirm rises and gets his head to it, but he can only loop it into the arms of Hart when he probably should have done better.

The visitors certainly aren't sitting back and inviting pressure onto them in this opening exchanges. They have passed the ball quite well when they have been in possession and are looking to get it forward quickly. Solid start from Slovenia.

Having said that, when England do have the ball the visitors are sticking to their shape in a disciplined fashion. They are playing in a traditional 4-4-2 formation, with England so far unable to break through the two banks of four defending the penalty area.

England have tried a number of incisive passes in the final third so far, but each time they have been well cut out by the Slovenian defence. The ideas are there from the hosts, but the visiting defence is holding firm so far.

A couple of players on both sides have had troubling controlling the ball in these early stages, which could well be down to the surface. A couple of those pieces of miscontrol have come at the back for Slovenia, so Rooney and Welbeck will be alert for any chance to nip in and steal the ball.

Ilic makes a mess of a clearance on the edge of his own box, which allows Welbeck to steal the ball. He can't find any space to shoot on his stronger left foot so instead tries to play in Clyne down the right channel, but the ball is crucially intercepted.

Still no way through for England, but they are starting to control possession now and take a grip of the match. They just need more of a cutting edge in the final third.

CHANCE! The best sight of goal so far falls to England and Sterling, but the Liverpool man makes a mess of his shot. It was good work from Clyne down the right as he beat his man before pulling it back to Rooney inside the box. The skipper in turn slid a short pass to Sterling on the edge, but his tame scuffed effort bobbles well wide.

England come forward on the opposite side through Gibbs this time, and once again the full-back pulls the ball into the box for Rooney. The skipper again finds Sterling on the edge, but this time the youngster is crowded out as he tries to wriggle his way through.

Lallana takes the ball nicely into his stride and exchanges passes with Rooney before being blocked off on the edge of the box. He wants a free kick in what would be a dangerous position, but the referee tells him to get to his feet. There certainly looked to be contact.

SHOT! Nice link-up play between the two strikers as Welbeck chests Wilshere's long ball down for Rooney. It sits up very invitingly for the skipper on the half volley from 25 yards, but he blasts a powerful strike high and wide.

This match is following a familiar rhythm for England. They are seeing the vast majority of the ball and have been troubled very little defensively, but there has been no way through so far. They have looked a little more dangerous in the last five minutes or so, but Handanovic is yet to be forced into a save.

One thing England have done well is to win the ball back quickly after losing it. The likes of Henderson and Wilshere have been full of energy in the middle of the park, applying pressure quickly and trying to launch swift breaks when they do regain possession.

Clyne has made a bright start to his debut down the right flank. He has been bombing forward whenever possible, spending more time in the Slovenia half than his own. He latches onto a Welbeck pass this time, but his first-time cross is poor and easily dealt with.

CLOSE! Slovenia have their first real sight of goal, and predictably is comes from Novakovic. The veteran striker is not picked up as he runs to the near post to meet a corner, but his flicked header goes a yard or so past the upright.

CHANCE! England have a chance at the other end as Sterling skips away from a challenge and finds space down the right flank. His cross is deflected and loops to Welbeck, who plants his downward header a few yards wide. It wasn't an easy one for the striker as he had to generate all of the power on the header himself, but he probably should have hit the target.

Poor from Lallana as Sterling wins England a free kick in a dangerous crossing position. However, Lallana fails to beat the first man with his delivery.

SAVE! Poor from Kurtic as his back-pass is more like a shot from close range, forcing Handanovic to push it wide for a corner with his feet. The set piece itself comes to nothing as the keeper collects at the second attempt, but it was an unnecessary one to give away for the visitors.

Lallana goes down in a heap clutching his face, but the referee pays no attention until Welbeck knocks the ball out of play. The replay shows that Cesar did in fact connect with his elbow, and the Slovenia skipper is very fortunate that the officials missed that one. He could have been off there.

UPDATE: Finally, there has been a goal in the 5pm kickoffs! It has gone the way of Ukraine, who have taken the lead against Luxembourg courtesy of a Yarmolenko strike.

SHOT! Better from England as Henderson wins the ball back in midfield before slipping a pass to Rooney. The skipper charges at the Slovenia defence before squaring it to Welbeck, who fires an effort over the top from 20 yards inside of playing a return pass to Rooney.

We're almost 40 minutes into this one and the biggest test Handanovic has had to face so far is a pass-back from one of his own players. England have seen plenty of the ball and have controlled the tempo of the game so far, but they have not done enough in the final third.

Better delivery from Lallana as he fizzes a corner into the box which Jagielka flicks on. It is put behind for another corner at the back post, but this time the cross from Lallana is poor and cleared by the first man.

Novakovic reacts angrily following a foul by Cahill. The Chelsea defender went to pick the veteran striker off the turf, prompting the Slovenian to lash out and refuse Cahill's hand. It is a very minor flashpoint, but the referee still brings them together for a word to calm things down.

The referee brings an end to the first half, and it was one that we have seen many times here at Wembley in recent years. England have dominated the ball so far and are playing the game at their own pace, but it remains goalless as neither side have done anywhere near enough to change that. It certainly hasn't been inspiring stuff from the hosts so far.

Not only have there not been any goals, but there haven't been many chances either so far. Perhaps the best opening of the lot fell to Sterling on the edge of the box following some good work from Clyne, who beat his man before slipping a pass inside to Rooney. The captain dropped it back to Sterling on the edge, but he scuffed his shot well past the upright.

Welbeck has also had a good opening, this time after some good work by Sterling down the right. He skipped away from one challenge before seeing his deflected cross loop into the middle. Welbeck had space, but also had to generate all of the power on his header himself. Even so, the Arsenal striker should have at least hit the target, rather than planting his header a couple of yards wide.

Slovenia, for their part, have spent most of the time chasing the ball and, as a result, have not been able to create much going forward. However, they have fired one warning shot when Novakovic raced to the front post to flick a header just wide from a corner. The visitors often win games by being tight at the back and stealing a goal at the other end and, as long as this one remains 0-0, they will fancy their chances of doing that again today.

It just has not been good enough from England going forward so far. They haven't been playing at a quick enough tempo and are yet to test Handanovic. Indeed, the Slovenian goalkeeper's trickiest moment came when Kurtic played a heavy pass-back to the keeper, forcing him to put it behind for a corner.

KICKOFF: Slovenia get us back underway at Wembley for the second half as they look to hold on for what would be an impressive point. Can they do it, or will England find a way through?

There seems to have been a subtle change of tactics from England at the start of this second half, with Sterling playing out wide right now instead of at the tip of the diamond. It is more of a 4-3-3 formation now.

CHANCE! Good chance for England at the start of this second half! Rooney shrugs off the attentions of his marker from a corner to glance a header towards the far post, but he doesn't connect as he would like to and it goes narrowly wide. Jagielka almost got a touch on it on the way through, but it was just too far in front of the defender.

Lovely play from Sterling as he spins away from one man before bursting past another down the right. He stands an inviting ball into the middle, but it is between Rooney and Welbeck, allowing Slovenia to put it behind for a corner.

Really good defending from Cesar as he smothers Rooney on the edge of the box. It was Gibbs who began the chance with some good work down the left. He squeezed the ball to Welbeck, who moved it on once more to Rooney. The skipper tried to shift the ball to his right and have a go, but Cesar read it and made the block before scrambling the ball to safety.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the evening goes the way of Gibbs, who just trod on the Achilles of Birsa.

This doesn't look too good for Birsa. He has barely moved since that Gibbs challenge, and the stretcher is being brought on. However, as soon as it gets to him, he is back up on his feet and moves to the sideline for treatment. He should be fine to continue.

CHANCE! Another decent opening for England as Rooney is forced out wide to the right. However, he still manages to dig a cross out which finds Jagielka, but the Everton man's header is straight at Handanovic.

Oh my word, out of nothing Slovenia break the deadlock! The ball is floated in to the box and Henderson is the man to get his head to it, glancing it over Joe Hart. That is the first goal that England have conceded in these qualifiers.

What a response from England! As soon as they got the ball back they drove right at the Slovenia defence, with Rooney making his way into the box. He avoids one rash challenge but is then tripped from behind by a clumsy Cesar challenge. Cesar is shown a yellow card for his troubles, but the main punishment comes shortly afterwards as Rooney hammers a powerful penalty into the corner. Handanovic made a fine attempt to keep it out and got a hand to it, but there was just too much power on the ball.

That, of course, is England goal number 44 for Rooney, who draws level with the great Jimmy Greaves in the all-time scoring charts. Only Lineker and Charlton have now scored more, and Rooney is within five of Sir Bobby's record 49-goal haul. What a moment for the skipper on his 100th cap.

Poor play from Jagielka as he loses the ball to Kampl in a dangerous position. The Slovenian attacker advances into the box but can't find a way past Cahill, who makes an important block to spare Jagielka's blushes.

SLOVENIA SUB: The first change of the evening sees Birsa withdrawn to be replaced by Dejan Lazarevic.

England almost break through the Slovenia defence again here as Rooney takes the ball down and slides a pass to Sterling, who has raced behind the back four. However, there is just too much on the pass as it runs through to Handanovic.

What a turnaround from England! The hosts put a number of crosses in the Slovenia box, keeping the visiting defence under pressure. It eventually comes to Lallana on the right side of the box, and his turn and low shot drew a save from Handanovic that saw the ball bounce back into a dangerous area. It eventually falls to Welbeck, who completely mis-hits his shot while slipping, but that wrong-foots Handanovic and the ball ends up in the back of the net! Messy goal, but England won't care at all.

What a response that has been to conceding your first goal since the World Cup. England seemingly needed to fall behind to spark them into life a little as they have looked a lot more threatening since Henderson's own goal.

Half a chance for England to grab a third as Lallana gets the ball back following another disappointing delivery from a corner. His second attempt is better as he hangs his cross towards the back post, allowing Rooney to get a run at it and beat Cesar in the air. However, he can't get over the ball and puts his header well off target.

This is much more like it from England! Lallana floats a ball over to Gibbs, to squeezes the ball inside for Welbeck. The Arsenal striker plays a lovely one-two with Sterling inside the box before poking the ball past Handanovic. Surely that is four wins from four in Group E!

This response has shown plenty of character from England, who could have let their heads drop having fallen behind. They had not played too well before Henderson's own goal - although there had been an improvement in the second half - but since falling behind they have been much better.

SLOVENIA SUB: A second change for the visitors as Kurtic is replaced by Rajko Rotman for the final 15 minutes.

UPDATE: That England goal rush has seemingly spread throughout Europe! Ukraine are now 3-0 up against Luxembourg, while Austria and Liechtenstein have both scored in the last few minutes to take the lead against Russia and Moldova respectively. The other game in Group E, between San Marino and Estonia, is still goalless. Could San Marino be on the verge of a rare point?

SLOVENIA SUB: A third and final change for the visitors as Kirm makes way to be replaced by Zlatan Ljubijankic.

YELLOW CARD! Clyne picks up a caution on his England debut, with the referee coming back to flash the yellow card at the next stoppage in play.

SHOT! The ball drops to Rotman on the edge of the England box and the Slovenia sub unleashes a thunderous strike that is always rising over the crossbar.

ENGLAND SUB: England first change of the night sees Lallana make way to be replaced by James Milner.

This game is surely all but won for England now, so I wonder whether we will see a debut for Saido Berahino in the closing stages. As the highest scoring Englishman in the Premier League he certainly deserves a chance, and Hodgson could opt to give him a few minutes at the end of this one.

YELLOW CARD! Sterling becomes the latest player in the book for kicking the ball away after a very dubious decision against the youngster on the right touchline.

Lovely play from England as Wilshere gives the ball to Welbeck, who flicks it round the corner for Henderson. Rooney is in a very good position in the middle, but Henderson's cross is poor and goes out of play.

ENGLAND SUB: Another England change, but it is not Berahino. Instead, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gets the nod, replacing Sterling for the final five minutes or so.

Good play from Oxlade-Chamberlain as he pounces on a moment of hesitation from Struna to race down the right. He has Rooney and Welbeck to aim for in the middle, but his dinked cross towards the former is cut out.

YELLOW CARD! Jagielka is the latest name in the book for a foul just inside his own half.

ENGLAND SUB: Third and final change for the hosts as Jagielka is replaced by Smalling. There will be no debut for Berahino or return for Downing or Walcott tonight, then.

Half a chance for England to grab a fourth as Henderson looks for the run of Oxlade-Chamberlain inside the box, but the Arsenal man just can't get enough on his flick as it travels into the arms of Handanovic.

There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.

CLOSE! Almost a great end to the match for Slovenia as Mertelj picks the ball up around 25 yards from goal and arrows an effort a yard or so past the top corner. Hart was certainly worried there!

The referee blows his whistle for the final time this evening and England have maintained their 100% start to the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. They were forced to come from behind to do so, but their character will have pleased Hodgson as they responded well to claim a 3-1 victory at Wembley. They are now six points clear at the top of Group E, and it is hard to see any of their rivals stopping them right now.

England conceded for the first time since their 2-1 defeat to Uruguay in the World Cup, but it took one of their own players to beat Hart. Henderson flicked a header over his own keeper to give Slovenia a shock lead against the run of play. That lasted just two minutes, however, as Rooney equalised from the spot to mark his 100th cap in style. A Welbeck brace then secured the points for England.

Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match as England make it five wins on the trot with a comeback victory over Slovenia. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction, analysis and player ratings. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!