There may not be a major tournament in 2023, but it’s still an important year for England as they look to book a spot in Germany for Euro 2024 next summer.
They kicked off their qualification campaign in style with a 2-1 win over Italy in Naples and followed it up with a comfortable 2-0 win over Ukraine.
Here’s who else the Three Lions will have to face in 2023.
Malta and England have faced one another twice in recent times; in the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign. Gareth Southgate’s side won both matches, prevailing 2-0 at home and 4-0 away.
The manager has a much stronger squad these days than he did back then – no offence to Jake Livermore and Ryan Bertrand – so will be expecting to win by an even bigger margin this time around.
North Macedonia were something of a surprise package in Euro 2020 qualifying, making it to the final tournament via the playoffs after finishing above Slovenia in their group.
They’ve caused England some problems in the past, drawing two of the four matches that the two nations have contested, which all took place in qualifying for Euro 2004 and Euro 2008.
The last game they played was in October of 2006 and ended in a 0-0 draw, which ultimately proved costly for Steve McClaren’s men as they missed out on qualification by a single point.
READ NEXT
England and Ukraine are familiar foes having played each other seven times in the last 15 years, with two of those matches being at European Championships.
The biggest game between the two was the Euro 2020 quarter-final, which the Three Lions won 4-0 courtesy of a brace from Harry Kane and goals from Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson.
England and Scotland contested the world’s first-ever official international match in 1872 and have since clashed 114 more times. It’s the oldest, and one of the fiercest, rivalries in international football.
The head-to-head record is more even than you’d perhaps expect, with England winning 48 times and Scotland winning 41. Neither were able to claim victory in the most recent two matches, which ended 0-0 and 2-2, but the Three Lions won the three before that.
This year’s game is officially a friendly, but if history is anything to go by, it will be anything but.
The Euro 2024 qualifying draw gave England the chance to get some revenge for their defeat in the final of Euro 2020, pitting them against Italy, and they took it, winning 2-1.
The biggest story from the match was Kane becoming his nation’s all-time top scorer, but the result itself was crucial too, making Southgate and co. favourites to top the group ahead of the Azzurri.
England’s penultimate match of 2023 should, on paper, be their easiest one. The Three Lions host Malta, who are expected to be the whipping boys of the group.
It will be the side’s final home game of the year and they’ll be aiming to win it style, especially with goal difference potentially playing a part in the final standings.
North Macedonia had a strong record at home in their last qualifying campaign, losing just one of their five matches on their way to the World Cup playoffs, where they shocked Italy before losing to Portugal.
They’ve won three of their last five competitive games in their own country but will have to be at their very best to avoid defeat against England in the final Euro 2024 qualifier for both sides.
Credit: 90min.com
