As qualifying for the tournament next summer approaches its critical juncture, England can secure their spot at Euro 2024 with as little as a point against Italy on Tuesday night. But when the Three Lions bring their rivals from the Euro 2020 final back to Wembley Stadium, they won’t be thinking about taking a draw.
After losing to the Azzurri in a penalty shootout little over two years ago, England’s lengthy wait for major tournament triumph was prolonged. Now, a second qualifying victory over this rival would not only get them into Euro 2024, but also make it more difficult for Italy to join them. What you need to know and how to watch the match are as follows:
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• When: Tuesday, October 18, 2:45 p.m. ET
• Address: London’s Wembley Stadium
• Fox Sports 1 on TV; Fox Soccer App and ViX for live streaming
• England -150; Draw +260; Italy +450 are the odds.
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England: The competition for berths has intensified as so many positions in Gareth Southgate’s probable Euro 2024 starting XI seem to be set in stone. This is especially true in midfield, where Jordan Henderson is still a top choice even after moving from Europe to play for Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia over the summer. Some fans heckled him when he appeared at Wembley on Friday during the friendly match against Australia, after months of criticism for a player who has always been outspoken in his support of the LGBTQ+ community.
When asked whether these outside variables will have an impact on Southgate’s decision to start Henderson over Kalvin Phillips on Tuesday, the coach said, “We’ll evaluate Jordan like every other player.” However, our squad would seem quite different if I made my selections based just on popularity. Unless there is anything that I feel is inappropriate, I will always choose the players who I believe are the greatest to represent the club and that offer us the best opportunity of winning.”
Italy: Given the upcoming matchups for the holders, Luciano Spalletti will undoubtedly be anxious to avoid testing the belief that Italy can easily qualify to defend the title they won at Wembley in the coming weeks. In Group B, the Azzurri are tied with Ukraine on points, three points behind England, although they still have a game in hand on their opponents for second position.
But after Tuesday’s match, North Macedonia—the team that eliminated Italy from the 2022 World Cup during the qualifying round—will make a comeback. After a 1-1 draw in Skopje early in qualifying, the Italians undoubtedly have a bit of a hoodoo. Spalletti could really need a couple points under his belt going into the last game, which is away to Ukraine.
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