England bring the curtain down on their impressive Euro 2024 campaign when they host Malta. Even though Gareth Southgate’s team is already certain of winning the section, the Three Lions are still aiming to get as many points as possible this month in order to qualify for Pot 1 of the group stage draw.
Preview (England vs. Malta)
It was only fitting for England to book their flights to Germany with a comprehensive thrashing of the current continental champions, who are not the same force they were during Roberto Mancini’s glory days, after completing their two-part revenge mission over Italy at the site of their Euro 2020 heartbreak. Former West Ham United misfit Gianluca Scamacca gave the Three Lions a short-lived scare after he scored a close-range goal. However, a brace of goals from Harry Kane and a Marcus Rashford finish capped an incredible comeback for Southgate’s team, who had previously looked unimpressive in a 1-0 friendly victory over Australia.
After defeating the Azzurri, England climbed up to 16 points from six games in Group C. Italy and Ukraine can tie for the Euro 2020 runners-up. The Three Lions will be saved by their head-to-head record if they lose their remaining two games shockingly. Even though they have secured first place, England still has a task ahead of them. They are among seven teams competing for three spots in Pot 1 of the group-stage draw. These spots will be awarded to the teams that perform the best in the preliminary rounds. Hosts Germany and Portugal are already in that section.
But England has a match against three of those seven countries this Friday—Belgium, Austria, and Turkey—all of whom could trail the Three Lions if they lose their last group games. The Wembley crowd will demand nothing less than an overwhelming 14th straight home victory in Euro qualifying. No matter what happens at Wembley on Friday, the Reds are sure to end up last. The sole goal scored by Malta in this series was an own goal by Richard Wright during a 2000 friendly.
Team News
A shoulder injury has forced Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham, 20, to withdraw. He is joined by Lewis Dunk, James Maddison, Callum Wilson, and Levi Colwill. Marcus Rashford and Kalvin Phillips have not yet trained with the team due to personal reasons. A month after leading the team against Italy. Notable defensive absences include John Stones, Luke Shaw, Ben Chilwell, and Reed James. These absences have allowed Rico Lewis and Ezri Konsa to receive their first call-ups. Cole Palmer has benefited from the contentious exclusions of Raheem Sterling and James Ward-Prowse. Both are eligible to make their senior debuts.
Even though Southgate has very few defensive options, the England manager could think about changing things up before a more difficult test against North Macedonia the following week, which may provide Sam Johnstone, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarrod Bowen, and Conor Gallagher opportunities to shine. Regarding Malta, the most notable player on Marcolini’s twenty-four-man roster is attacker Kemper Reid, a Jamaican by birth who has played in the Maltese Premier League since 2016. Reid will receive his first cap after obtaining citizenship at the end of October.
The return of Teddy Teuma and Jodi Jones, who were both sidelined for October’s games due to injuries, has also strengthened the attacking ranks for the visitors. Teuma should start at number 10 after scoring four goals and dishing out two assists in 10 Ligue 1 games for Reims this season.
England 5 – 0 Malta
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