Kelly Sibley is backing a home crowd to help England win their first home European qualifying match, against Slovenia next Tuesday.

England’s No 1 leads the Leopards into action against opponents who, at 32, are one place above them in the world team rankings.

With both countries having already lost 3-0 to Germany, the match at Medway Park in Gillingham will go a long way to determining which division they will qualify in for the Championships next year.

Sibley agreed, saying:

“It’s the most important match in the group, really and will go a long way to decide which division we go into. We always knew Germany would be very tough and Slovenia would be the pressure match.”

Slovenia are familiar opponents, England having met them at the last two Euros, with each nation clocking up a victory apiece.

Sibley added:

“We know the players really well – Alex (Galic) plays at my French team, so it’s a case of friend turning into foe.

“It’s going to be a tough game but on the day, if we play well, we can win.

“It’s always good to play in front of a home crowd and hopefully the atmosphere and support will spur us on and give us an edge on those pressure points and we can get the job done and move forwards.”

The match will see history made, as it will be the first live sport to be streamed live on the Team GB Facebook page.