The race for places at next year’s European Championships in Germany resumes on Thursday night with the footballing future of several continental giants on the line. Euro 2020 winners Italy are targeting maximum points at home to paperweights Malta tonight before facing group C leaders England in a make or break encounter on Tuesday, October 17 in order to avoid the ignominy of missing out on their second consecutive international tournament. Under the tutelage of Roberto Mancini, the 1968 and 2020 champions missed out on last year’s World Cup in Qatar.
New Azzuri boss Luciano Spalletti has gone with the tried and tested but also included four Premier League based players in the hope their familiarity with the English game will breed the contempt needed to overcome Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions. Though it’s difficult to envisage Spurs custodian Guglielmo Vicario dislodging Gianluigi Donnaruma or Aston Villa’s Niccolo Zaniolo starting,
Tottenham Hotspur left back Destiny Udogie and Newcastle United midfield metronome Sandro Tonali could go straight into the starting line up against England as Spalletti seeks to bridge a six point deficit on the Three Lions.
Southgate is notoriously conservative but he should use Thursday’s day off to test out a few tweaks in the match up with Australia. The England boss must fill the gap on the right side of the front three vacated by injured Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka as well as try Chelsea’s Levi Colwill in the left back slot since regulars Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell are both injured. The alternative is to switch the more experienced Kieran Trippier to an inverted left back role and use Kyle Walker as the right back.
Twice European champions Spain host unbeaten Scotland in the unfamiliar position of trying to bridge a six point deficit on Steve Clarke’s red-hot visitors. The Tartan Army are to descend on Seville’s Estadio la Cartuja in large numbers to lend their vociferous support to an all conquering Scotland side that has garnered a maximum 15 points from five outings. Group A rivals Norway are to count on Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard’s creative instincts and Erling Braut Haaland’s mercurial finishing in their must win match at winless Cyprus.
New Poland boss Michal Probierz has the unenviable task of hauling the Robert Lewandowski captained side from the depths of fourth place in group E when they take on Faroe Islands and Moldova in a double header of winnable fixtures. The 1974 World Cup semifinalists parted company with Portugal’s Euro 2016 winning manager Fernando Santos following Poland’s 0-2 capitulation to Albania in the last international break.
TODAY
Latvia v Armenia,
Spain v Scotland,
Cyprus v Norway,
Croatia v Turkey,
Albania v Czech Republic,
Faroe Islands v Poland,
Andorra v Kosovo,
Belarus v Romania
FRIDAY
Estonia v Azerbaijan,
Rep of Ireland v Greece,
Holland v France,
Austria v Belgium,
Iceland v Luxembourg,
Portugal v Slovakia,
Liechtenstein v Bosnia