England will host Malta in the UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers on Friday night, looking to continue their impressive run of form.
England are currently unbeaten in the UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers with five wins and a draw from their six matches ahead of the visit of Malta. The Three Lions are on top of Group C as well ahead of Italy.
On the other hand, Malta have lost each of their last seven qualifiers, and this will be an uphill challenge for them. The visitors will have to do extremely well to make life difficult for Gareth Southgate’s men, and it seems that they might be in for another difficult evening here.
England have an exceptional head-to-head record against Malta, having picked up four consecutive wins against Friday’s opposition. They will be fairly confident of grinding out a comprehensive victory here, and the home fans will be expecting a statement performance.
Fully charged for Friday 🔋
📍 St. George's Park pic.twitter.com/5SQfsRGxeK
— England (@England) November 16, 2023
Team News & Tactics
England
England will be without the services of Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell. Both players remain sidelined with injuries. Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham, James Maddison, Levi Colwill and Lewis Dunk have all withdrawn from the squad due to injuries, and they are set to miss out as well.
England are likely to start in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation, with Jordan Pickford in goal. Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier will be deployed as the full-backs, and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch.
Marc Guehi will start in central defence alongside Harry Maguire. In the midfield pivot, Trent Alexander-Arnold should start alongside Declan Rice. The two players will look to break up the opposition’s attacks and add creativity to the side from the deep.
Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford will start as the wingers here, and the two players will look to add creativity, pace and goals to the attack. Harry Kane will leave the line for England here with Phil Foden behind him in the central attacking midfield role.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Walker, Guehi, Maguire, Trippier; Alexander-Arnold, Rice; Saka, Foden, Rashford; Kane
Malta
The visitors do not have any major injury concerns ahead of this game, and they should be able to field a full-strength lineup. Henry Bonello will start in goal for the away side. In the back three, Steve Borg will start alongside Jean Borg and Enrico Pepe.
Cain Attard and Ryan Camenzuli will start as the wing-backs. The two players will look to protect the central defenders and keep the wingers quiet. Zach Muscat will start in the central midfield alongside Matthew Guillaumier. The two players will look to sit deep and break up opposition attacks.
Teddy Teuma will start as the central attacking midfielder, and he will look to link up with the attackers and create goalscoring opportunities for the visitors. Jodi Jones will lead the line for Malta alongside Paul Mbong.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Bonello; Steve Borg, Jean Borg, Pepe; Attard, Guillaumier, Muscat, Camenzuli; Teuma; Jones, Paul Mbong
Key Stats
- England have won their last four matches against Malta in all competitions.
- England have kept a clean sheet in their last three matches against Malta in all competitions.
- England have scored at least two goals in their last four matches against Malta in all competitions.
- Malta have conceded 18 goals in seven Euro qualifiers.
- England have scored 19 goals in six Euro qualifiers.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
Harry Kane's already scored more goals than last season's Bundesliga top goalscorer… it's November 🤯 pic.twitter.com/bewjfLwHtO
— GOAL (@goal) November 11, 2023
The England captain has been in phenomenal form this season, and he is our key player to watch out for. The 30-year-old will look to influence the game with his goalscoring ability and creativity in the final third.
Kane has 17 goals and five assists to his name in 11 Bundesliga appearances, and he has seven goals in six Euro qualifiers for England as well. The striker has been in spectacular form for club and country, and he should be able to take advantage of Malta’s defensive vulnerabilities and get on the score sheet here.
Prediction
England 4-0 Malta
England are the overwhelming favourites heading into this game, and they are up against the side that has failed to pick up a single point in the qualifiers so far. The gulf in class between the two teams is immense, and England will be expected to pick up a comfortable victory.
The Three Lions have enough quality at their disposal, and Harry Kane should be able to find the back of the net with ease. Malta will have to defend carefully or it could be a rout for the home side. The Hard Tackle predicts a 4-0 victory for Gareth Southgate and his charges.
