1. Maintain their discipline

There will be fewer than 13,000 people in the cramped Podgorica City Stadium this evening, but the atmosphere will be as hostile as anything England will face in the whole of their qualifying campaign.

The last time they played there, in October 2011, Wayne Rooney was sent off for a petulant kick at Miodrag Dzudovic, an offence that forced him to miss the opening two matches of Euro 2012.

Roy Hodgson is confident there will be no repeat of Rooney’s rush of blood, but with the home crowd whipped into a frenzy, it will be important not to give Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson any reason to start reaching for his cards.

2. Ensure their two centre-halves hit top form

Joleon Lescott and Chris Smalling could not have wished for an easier game in which to kick-start their international relationship than Friday’s eight-goal romp against San Marino.

Tonight’s match will be considerably more demanding, and if England are to avoid a difficult evening, the pair will have to make a decent job of shackling Juventus striker Mirko Vucinic, who scored Montenegro’s winner in Moldova on Friday.

Neither Lescott nor Smalling is a regular starter for their club side, but Hodgson insists they deserve more respect than they have been afforded in the wake of Rio Ferdinand’s injury cry-off.

3. Prevent Stevan Jovetic causing problems from his attacking midfield berth

If Vucinic is Montenegro’s key finisher, then Jovetic, a £20m-rated Fiorentina midfielder, is generally the player who creates the chances for his team-mate to score.

The 23-year-old, who has been linked with a potential summer move to Arsenal, will seek to exploit England’s lack of a natural holding midfielder, a problem that has plagued tonight’s visitors for a number of years.

With Michael Carrick set to start alongside Steven Gerrard, one of Englands’ central midfielders will have to be prepared to sit deep in order to cut off Jovetic’s supply line to Vucinic.

4. Counter-attack swiftly to make the most of the pace in their side

It will be interesting to see who Hodgson selects in his attacking positions tonight, but there is every chance that Rooney will start centrally with three of Danny Welbeck, Ashley Young, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner or Daniel Sturridge playing off him.

Whatever combination Hodgson goes with, England should have plenty of pace in the wide attacking positions, and they must use it to launch a series of swift counter-attacking breaks.

Against better opposition, England often fall back into their old habit of slowing things down in an attempt to play a possession game. Tonight’s match should be about pressing high up the field and breaking forward in numbers.

5. Utilise their greater squad depth with astute substitutions

While Montenegro have a handful of world-class players, their squad is nowhere near as deep as England’s and they will have to manage without suspended duo Savo Pavicevic and Milorad Pekovic.

Home boss Branko Brnovic has limited scope for alteration if things are not going to plan, but the same is not true of Hodgson, who could have the likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sturridge and Jermain Defoe on the bench.

The game could change markedly in the final quarter, and while a draw would not necessarily be a disaster for England, Hodgson has options available to him if he opts to make positive changes in search of a win.