REVEALED: Why England might NEED to win their dead-rubbers against Malta and North Macedonia despite already qualifying for Euro 2024
- England secured a place at the 2024 European Championship last month with a victory over Italy
- Gareth Southgate plans to pick strong teams for two qualifiers this week
- What’s the story with Raheem Sterling? Listen to It all starts
Gareth Southgate plans to select strong teams for England’s European Championship qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia this week, with his side needing two wins to ensure qualification for next summer’s finals.
England secured their place at the tournament in Germany with an impressive win over Italy last month, but Southgate is keen to be seeded, allowing them to avoid the likes of France and Germany in the group stages.
Germany automatically gets the best seeding as host, while five other spots are available for the top qualifiers.
Ahead of the final qualifying round, France, Belgium, Portugal, Slovenia and Denmark currently have more points than England, who have taken 16 points from their six games.
Wins over Malta and North Macedonia should be enough for England to secure top spot, as Slovenia and Denmark are in the same group.
Gareth Southgate plans to pick strong teams for England’s dead rubbers this week
England secured their place at the 2024 European Championship with an impressive win over Italy last month
Furthermore, England have a higher goal difference than Romania and Turkey, who also have 16 points.
Southgate’s staff have already started exploring training camps and hotels in Germany, but the FA will not make a final decision on where they will base themselves until after the draw in Hamburg on December 2.
Southgate has preferred to stay in remote locations away from fans and other city center distractions during the previous two tournaments he has officiated outside England, the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in Russia and Qatar.