Steve McClaren and his team are in Austria for a friendly which was supposed to be the prelude for a lengthier stint at Euro 2008 next summer.
But the REAL drama will unfold in Tel Aviv and Skopje on Saturday.
Allardyce To Replace McClaren?
Should Russia and Croatia record away wins over Israel and Macedonia respectively, England will effectively be condemned to missing their first major tournament since the 1994 World Cup.
McClaren knows such a scenario would bring inevitable calls for his head, and there are those at the FA who still hold Allardyce in high regard.
McClaren: "I have no firm plans for Saturday but I will most probably be at home with my boys, biting my nails hoping the right thing happens.
"We are a very private family and a very ordinary one. There is enough to get on with in life without them bothering too much about me.
"We are all professionals.
"We met on Tuesday and training has gone very well. I have told the players the campaign is not over.
"I believe that Macedonia or Israel will get a result."
Football Association chief executive Brian Barwick did not touch on McClaren's present job prospects when quizzed this week, and he is said to be the man who wanted Allardyce rather than McClaren when the appointment was made.
The FA delegation are bound for next weekend's World Cup draw in South Africa. And McClaren's position will need to be clarified at some point before Friday's departure should England's week finish as miserably as most pundits expect.
McClaren: "I believe I will survive.
"I have come through adversity in the past and I am sure I will again.
"We are in a period of uncertainty. But the uncertainty is about this qualifying campaign, not my job.
"Qualification is out of our hands but I have always believed the Croatia match next Wednesday would be the crunch game and I still do."