Euro 2024 result and highlights after Three Lions win at Wembley

England ensured a top seeding at Euro 2024 with a laboured 2-0 home victory against Group C makeweights Malta that will not live long in the memory of an underwhelmed Wembley crowd.

Until the 75th minute all that separated Gareth Southgate’s lacklustre side from 171st-ranked Malta was an early own goal by Enrico Pepe and they endured some anxious moments in between.

Captain Harry Kane finally doubled England’s lead with his 62nd goal for his country after good work by Bukayo Saka before Declan Rice had an effort ruled out for offside.

There was precious little to get enthused about though as several England fringe players wasted the chance to make a statement of intent to Southgate.

England had already qualified for next year’s finals in Germany and victory over Malta ensured they will win Group C, regardless of what happens in North Macedonia on Monday.

Relive the action from the Euro 2024 qualifiers plus get the latest odds and tips right here:

England vs Malta live

• Trent Alexander-Arnold receiving the keys to England’s midfield suggests one thing

• England defeat Malta in a Euro 2024 qualifier at Wembley

• 78’ NO GOAL! – Rice’s goal is chalked off for offside (ENG 2-0 MLT)

• 76’ GOAL! – Rice thunders a shot past the goalkeeper (ENG 3-0 MLT)

• 75’ GOAL! – Kane finishes off a fine one-touch move (ENG 2-0 MLT)

• 66’ SHOT! – Alexander-Arnold finds the target but doesn’t beat the goalkeeper (ENG 1-0 MLT)

• 30’ YELLOW CARD! – Kane is booked for simulation after going down in the box (ENG 1-0 MLT)

• 8’ GOAL! – Pepe’s own goal puts England ahead (ENG 1-0 MLT)

• 1’ CLOSE! – Teuma curls a shot wide of the target for Malta (ENG 0-0 MLT)

England 2 – 0 Malta

Trent Alexander-Arnold receiving the keys to England’s midfield suggests one thing

Friday 17 November 2023 22:03 , Jamie Braidwood

Trent Alexander-Arnold stood and surveyed. He saw the run from Marcus Rashford and the pass was a delight; cutting across the ball from right to left, it floated into the space. But what followed was like something out of a cartoon drawn specifically to show what England struggling to beat Malta at home would look like. As Rashford’s run into the box was stopped and Malta cleared, Alexander-Arnold controlled and drove forward in one movement. But it was too much: Alexander-Arnold crashed into Rashford. Wembley groaned. Rashford limped off.

It was that kind of night. The paper aeroplanes quickly overtook England to lead: more had landed on the Wembley pitch than England had managed shots against the side ranked 171st in the world. Sailing down from high up in the stands, those folded pieces of A4 perhaps made for a more entertaining sight than Gareth Southgate’s side as they toiled and strugged and led only to Enrico Pepe’s eighth-minute own goal. That, sufficient to say, was not enough to please the masses.

It took until the 74th minute for England to finally click. Alexander-Arnold surging through a challenge in midfield to play in Kyle Walker. Phil Foden cleverly finding Bukayo Saka with a slided pass, Harry Kane dropping into position to tuck away England’s second and final goal of the night with what was only their second shot on target. Soon enough, Declan Rice curled in a pleasing third, only for VAR to disallow it due to Kane being stood in an offside position. It was more frustration for Kane, who was booked for simulation after he was brought down by the Malta goalkeeper Henry Bonello in a dismal first half.

Trent Alexander-Arnold receiving the keys to England’s midfield suggests one thing

More from Southgate

Friday 17 November 2023 22:19 , Mike Jones

Gareth Southgate speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: “If you don’t start games well it’s very difficult to pick it up and we didn’t. We know the level we’ve got should be better, can be better.

“Those games that you know you can win at a canter, the number of games these players are playing, it’s almost a self-regulation.

“We didn’t hit the heights that we have done this calendar year.

“So not enough quality on the ball, and not enough chances created but I have been a player and I know exactly how those games feel and clearly it’s possible we could have had three or four with the decisions as well but we didn’t create enough clear chances to deserve that anyway.”

Southgate on Alexander-Arnold

Friday 17 November 2023 22:10 , Mike Jones

“He has got outstanding quality. He and Phil [Foden] were the two in the first half that looked like opening the game up for us.

“Marc Guehi was good at the back and the changes brought more quality. They don’t lose by fives and sixes and obviously, we didn’t create as many chances as we’d like to.”

Post match reaction from Gareth Southgate

Friday 17 November 2023 22:06 , Mike Jones

England manager Gareth Southgate speaking to Channel 4: “It was a game when we didn’t start well and if you don’t start well it’s hard to pick the game up. “e got a goal out of nothing really.

“But the quality on the ball is not normally at that level and it was a game where the players knew they could win at a canter and didn’t extend themselves.

“These players have played so many games and have done so well for us so I am not going to hammer them for it. We weren’t where we [should be] but we got the win.”

FT England 2-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 21:55 , Mike Jones

Harry Kane has been directly involved in 33 goals in 20 appearances for club and country this season.

Bayern: 16 games, 21 goals, 7 assists

England: 4 games, 4 goals, 1 assist

FT England 2-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 21:52 , Mike Jones

Cole Palmer became the 13th Chelsea player to appear for England under Gareth Southgate; the most players from a single team to have featured for the Three Lions under the current manager.

Full-time! England 2-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 21:40 , Mike Jones

90+6 mins: The full-time whistle goes and this dull affair comes to a close. England have won but it’s a hollow victory due to the manner in which they played.

It was far from their most positive or fun performance but the victory is in the bag.

England 2-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 21:36 , Mike Jones

90+3 mins: Cole Palmer, relatively quiet on his debut so far, goes on a fine run down the left wing. He dances into the box and has a go but the effort is blocked out for a corner.

Malta then defend the set piece without too much trouble.

England 2-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 21:34 , Mike Jones

90 mins: No they can’t.

There board is raised on the side of the pitch and there’s going to be six minutes of added time.

England 2-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 21:32 , Mike Jones

87 mins: Trent Alexander-Arnold takes another shot from range and works the goalkeeper into a nice save down low to his right.

A foul over on the left side of the pitch brings England a free kick. Can they work the keeper again?

England 2-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 21:29 , Mike Jones

84 mins: In the other Group C match of the night, North Macedonia have come from three goals down to make the game 3-2 against Italy. Is the comeback on? Unlikely but it’s been a fighting effort and England travel to North Macedonia after this match is done.

England 2-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 21:26 , Mike Jones

81 mins: This match has been 80 minutes of dull, tired play then 90 seconds of quality before VAR put that to a swift stop. Rice’s goal was a good one but he’ll need to wait to score at Wembley again.

Into the last 10 minutes now, can England find a couple more goals and send everyone away happy?

NO GOAL! England 2-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 21:22 , Mike Jones

78 mins: The goal is ruled out!

Harry Kane was stood in an offside position as Declan Rice took his shot. VAR judges him to have been in the goalkeeper’s way so England are back down to two.

GOAL! England 3-0 Malta (Rice, 76’)⚽️

Friday 17 November 2023 21:20 , Mike Jones

76 mins: There’s the third!

England recover the ball quickly and work it up the pitch. He drives to the box, rolls it onto his right foot then blitz a fine effort into the back of the net.

GOAL! England 2-0 Malta (Kane, 75’)⚽️

Friday 17 November 2023 21:19 , Mike Jones

75 mins: England have a second!

Kyle Walker brings the ball inside from the right and gives it to Phil Foden. Foden’s first touch feeds the ball into the box to Bukayo Saka who touches it across to Harry Kane.

Kane sweeps the ball into the back of the net and finally, finally England come alive.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 21:13 , Mike Jones

69 mins: Harry Maguire bombs it down the left wing, receives the ball in a one-two the takes it into the box and wins England a throw in.

There’s not much happening out there. So much so, the supporters have started making paper aeroplanes in the stands.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 21:09 , Mike Jones

66 mins: Shot! Walker flips the ball over the top and Saka gets in behind once again. He manages to offload the ball to Alexander-Arnold just inside the box.

The makeshift midfielder gets on top of the bounce and pings a shot at goal but can’t beat the goalkeeper.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 21:06 , Mike Jones

63 mins: Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford are taken off with Declan Rice and Cole Palmer introduced. Palmer becomes the 60th debutant under Gareth Southgate.

This is his senior debut and the Chelsea man will be wanting to impress tonight.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 21:03 , Mike Jones

60 mins: Marcus Rashford, out on the right wing now, makes a nice run in behind as Harry Maguire floats a long ball over the top. Rashford is forced wide then loses the ball.

It comes to the edge of the box where Alexander-Arnold and Rashford collide with each other and leave the Manchester United man on the deck.

Gareth Southgate is preparing some changes.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 21:01 , Mike Jones

57 mins: Close! The ball is floated over to Kyle Walker who feeds it down the line to Bukayo Saka. Saka knocks it back into the middle where Trent Alexander-Arnold threads a well weighted pass into the box.

Saka sprints around the left-back, gets to the ball but has his shot deflected out for a corner.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:58 , Mike Jones

54 mins: The referee is not interested in giving England penalties.

Marcus Rashford dances aroung Joseph Mbong before threading the ball through the legs of Steve Borg. He looks to skip behind the Malta captain but he grabs Rashford’s shirt, holds him off then sandwiches him into the back tracking Mbong.

Rashford goes to the floor but the referee lets play go on.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:54 , Mike Jones

51 mins: Phil Foden swings the ball into the box from the corner and finds Harry Maguire. The England defender gets a head to the ball but can’t generate enough power to beat goalkeeper Henry Bonello.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:53 , Mike Jones

48 mins: Kieran Trippier has been shifted out to the left side of the pitch with Walker slotting in at right-back. Marcus Rashford receives the ball from Trent Alexander-Arnold.

He takes on the Maltese defence, drives into the box and wins a corner.

Second half! England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:49 , Mike Jones

Gareth Southgate has made a couple of changes at the break. Kyle Walker and Bukayo Saka have come on to replace Conor Gallagher and Fikayo Tomori.

It’s an aggressive change which should bring some pace and speed into proceedings.

HT England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:42 , Mike Jones

England had just two shots in the first half against Malta, neither of which were on target.

It’s the first time England have failed to record a single shot on target in the first half of a home international since November 2017 in a friendly against Germany.

HT England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:38 , Mike Jones

Half-time! England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:34 , Mike Jones

45+1 mins: The first 45 minutes comes to an end. England have the lead but it’s been far from a positive display for Gareth Southgate’s side.

They seem disjointed and lacking in energy. When they play the ball quickly, they’re dangerous but Malta have hung in there brilliantly and only an own goal separates the teams.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:29 , Mike Jones

42 mins: Harry Kane brings down an aerial ball and swiftly rolls it out wide for Marcus Rashford. Rashford takes on Joseph Mbong who manages to get the ball and prod it out for a corner.

Phil Foden swings the ball into the middle where a bunch of argy bargy forces the referee to blow his whistle and award a free kick to Malta.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:26 , Mike Jones

39 mins: Conor Gallagher nips around Matthew Guillaumier and looks to sprint up the pitch. The Maltese midfielder tries to recover and clips Gallagher’s heels bringing him down and earning himself a yellow card.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:24 , Mike Jones

36 mins: England have lacked a cutting edge in the final third. Foden and Alexander-Arnold are working hard to feed the ball into small pockets and get it up to the edge of the box but there’s been little in the way of real chances at goal.

Rashford is taken out on the left edge of the area but doesn’t win a free kick. The ball goes out for a corner though and gets whipped straight into the hands of the goalkeeper.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:20 , Mike Jones

33 mins: Harry Kane protested the card and Gareth Southgate looked perplexed but VAR didn’t intervene to change the decision either. A strange incident to ponder in the half-time break.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:17 , Mike Jones

30 mins: Drama! Malta recover the ball but Phil Foden presses high. It comes back to goalkeeper Henry Bonello whose shot pass is intercepted by Harry Kane.

Kane checks to the right of the goalkeeper who throws himself at the England captain. The keeper brings Kane down by the legs after the ball is gone and there should be a penalty awarded.

Instead the referee the pulls out a card and books Kane for diving. Incredible scenes.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:15 , Mike Jones

28 mins: Teddy Teuma whips the free kick towards the far bottom corner but Harry Kane is there to nod the ball wide of goal. Jordan Pickford then deals with the resultant corner and England sweep forward.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:14 , Mike Jones

27 mins: In the end it’s actually Kieran Trippier who swings in the set piece with Harry Maguire the target in the middle. Malta clear the danger and work the ball nicely up the other end of the pitch.

Tomori is involved in another testing challenge. This time it’s the England defender who lunges in and he’s booked for the tackle on Yannick Yankam.

Malta win a free kick over to the right side of the box. Big chance this…

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:11 , Mike Jones

24 mins: In the other Group C match of the night, Italy have scored against North Macedonia. The current European champions need to win that one to move up to second and into the automatic qualification spots.

Kieran Trippier wins England their first corner of the match. Phil Foden jogs across to take it.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:10 , Mike Jones

21 mins: The Malta coaching staff will be really annoyed about conceding that opening goal. The team is playing nicely and are working together to keep England out wide whenever they breach the final third.

Paul Mbong arrives into a challege half a second too late and clatters into Fikayo Tomori’s shins. The Malta forward is shown a yellow card.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:06 , Mike Jones

18 mins: Lovely work! Trent Alexander-Arnold flicks the ball up the pitch having avoided a tackle and picks out Phil Foden who skirts along the front edge of the before offloading the ball to Marcus Rashford.

Rashford holds it up then rolls a dainty pass into the penalty area where Foden has continued his run. He brings the ball back under control then lifts it into the six yard area where the goalkeeper clings onto it.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:03 , Mike Jones

15 mins: Conor Gallagher looks to burst into space on the left wing but is crowded out. He runs into a defender and falls over trying to hoodwink the referee into awarding a free kick but he doesn’t get one.

Marcus Rashford then chases away a threaded pass but even his pace can’t get him to the ball but it rolls out for a goal kick.

England 1-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 20:01 , Mike Jones

12 mins: The goal will relax England a little bit. They should win this game easily but the pressure is off once they’ve gone ahead. At the minute, the Three Lions haven’t quite clicked in the middle of the pitch and Malta are defending nicely.

GOAL! England 1-0 Malta (Pepe OG, 8’)⚽️

Friday 17 November 2023 19:57 , Mike Jones

8 mins: There’s the opener!

It’s a fortunate goal for England but the build-up play was nice. Marc Guehi threads a lovely ball down the inside right channel and picks out Phil Foden.

Foden taps it into the box, follows the ball in then looks to pull it back for Harry Kane. Enrico Pepe is too slow to stick with Foden but tracks back well.

When the ball comes across it strikes his leg, wrongfoots the goalkeeper – who still manages to get a hand to ball – and finishes in the back of the net.

England 0-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 19:51 , Mike Jones

4 mins: After that early scare, England are trying to impose some control on the game. They build up the number of passes between the defence and central midfielders but knock the ball out of play when trying to work it out wide on the left hand side.

Paul Mbong, one of Malta’s forwards, hobbles around having picked up a slight knock. He seems to be okay though.

England 0-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 19:49 , Mike Jones

1 min: Close! From the throw in, England give the ball away and the visitors work it up to the box quickly. Matthew Guillaumier feeds a pass across to Teddy Teuma who shifts the ball onto his left foot then drills a low effort wide of the left-hand post.

That was very close!

Kick off! England 0-0 Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 19:47 , Mike Jones

Ahead of kick off there is moment of applause as the lights are dimmed to reveal the words Sir Bobby in the stands. The 1966 World Cup Winner passed away last month and is shown the appreciation of the watching supporters.

Malta then get the ball rolling and send it over to the right wing where it’s pinged straight out of play.

England vs Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 19:40 , Mike Jones

Here come the players.

The England men’s side are playing at Wembley for the last time in this calender year. It’ll be some send off if they manage to win tonight and impress by scoring a few goals.

The game is mainly a confidence builder and to keep England’s winning momentum into the new year and towards the Euros next summer.

The pundits are predicting scores of 4,5 and 6 nil in England’s favour. It could be a big one if the Three Lions are on song. Kick off is up next…

England vs Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 19:38 , Mike Jones

Pre-match thoughts of Gareth Southgate who told Channel 4: “We have to win, we always want to play well. We have 80,000 fans here buying in to what we’re doing.

“I think nights like this are definitely opportunities for people to see what they can do. This is a different test. It poses a difficult tactical issue playing against a low-block. We have players who can unlock the door like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Kane.

“[Alexander-Arnold] loves the role he’s had with Liverpool for a number of years. There are no doubts he can do both. We’ve liked what he’s done in midfield for us. His passing range and vision is exceptional. He has another chance tonight.”

England vs Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 19:35 , Mike Jones

England are paying tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton at Wembley tonight in what is their first match since the 1966 World Cup winner’s death last month.

There will be a crowd mosaic and video celebrating the Manchester United legend’s life, while the players will wear black armbands during the game.

How Gareth Southgate can make England vs Malta exciting

Friday 17 November 2023 19:30 , Mike Jones

Perhaps the first thing to mention ahead of England’s final home game of the year is the crowd. England have already qualified for Euro 2024 but the visit of Malta is a sell-out at Wembley. There is still the formality of securing top spot in Group C to confirm, and with it an important top seeding at next month’s Euros draw, but by virtue of wrapping up their business early, Gareth Southgate’s side have given themselves a largely meaningless double-header against Malta and North Macedonia to conclude the calendar year.

Or at least, in previous years, it may well have been. The thing is, this England is quite good. They may even be fun, and there was certainly a sense of commanding confidence in the air as Southgate’s side swept Italy aside last month. Much of that came from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, who represent what is so exciting about England at the moment. When was the last time England were so strong in attacking areas? When was the last time those players looked so comfortable replicating their club form within the national team?

How Gareth Southgate can make England vs Malta exciting

England vs Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 19:25 , Mike Jones

England haven’t lost a home game in the month of November since a 0-1 loss to Germany in a friendly back in 2013. They’re unbeaten in each of their last 12 such games and have won each of the last six by an aggregate scoreline of 24-1.

Alexander-Arnold on playing at Euro 2024

Friday 17 November 2023 19:20 , Mike Jones

Trent Alexander-Arnold took the pre-match press conference with Gareth Southgate and spoke about how he wants to play a big part at Euro 2024 for England.

The Liverpool right-back is now listed as a midfielder for England and is expected to play in midfield when he takes to the pitch tonight.

“When I’m here, when I’m not here, I’m constantly thinking about trying to get into the team for the summer,” he said.

“Since we spoke in the summer, me and the manager, about a midfield opportunity and to see if we could make it work, there has been a newfound excitement for me.

“It is a huge opportunity and it is one I am grateful to have, but also making sure I take it. It’s still early days, I haven’t had much experience in there so still learning on the job and about picking it up as much as I can when I am in there.

“[Is going to the Euros as a midfielder your target?] Massively so, it is something I think about often, it is something that motivates me.”

England vs Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 19:15 , Mike Jones

England conceded first but came back to win 3-1 against Italy in their last international match. The Three Lions have won six of their nine games under Gareth Southgate when conceding the first goal at Wembley (two draw, one loss).

The Three Lions have posted the highest shot conversion rate in this qualifying campaign (25.3%) netting 19 of their 75 attempts on goal, while only Portugal (32 goals in 8 games) and Switzerland (20 goals in 7 games) have scored more goals than them.

They will be looking to win their opening four home Euro qualifiers for a third consecutive qualifying campaign having also done so for the 2016 and 2020 tournaments.

England vs Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 19:10 , Mike Jones

Malta have never won an away European Championship qualifying match in 59 attempts (with five draws and 54 defeats), losing their last eleven away qualifiers in a row.

They have lost all seven of their qualifiers for Euro 2024 and not since Euro 2000 have they lost 100 per cent of their games in a complete qualifying campaign (World Cup and European Championship combined).

Southgate looking to keep up winning momentum

Friday 17 November 2023 19:05 , Mike Jones

Despite having already secured qualification for Euro 2024 after their win over Italy last month, Gareth Southgate does not want his side to take their feet of the gas and explained how important it is to pick up two victories from their final two qualifiers.

“We need to win games, not only to make sure that we’re one of the top seeds next summer but also with England, you always have to win matches,” said the Three Lions manager.

“The bigger message is around our standards every day on the training pitch. We aim to be a top team, and we have been consistent for a period of time now and that stems from everything you do and the things that nobody else sees.

“You’ve got to have good habits every day and there’s never a day off from that. If you’re a top player, you’ve got to have those standards about you all the time, not just while you’re training but when you’re away from training as well.

“You’ve got to maximise the opportunity that you’ve got because it’s a short career so you’ve got to be a good professional and our senior players in particular set a great example.

“We also have lots of young players who have great habits.”

England vs Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 19:00 , Mike Jones

England are unbeaten in their last 36 home European Championship/World Cup qualifying matches (with 32 wins and four draws), since a 3-2 loss to Croatia in November 2007.

The Three Lions have scored 120 goals across these matches, an average of 3.3 per game.

England vs Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 18:55 , Mike Jones

England manager Gareth Southgate admits his plans for this week’s game with Malta and the trip to North Macedonia have been disrupted.

The Three Lions squad are missing a number of players but the next two outings provide an opportunity for Southgate’s men to finish their qualification campaign with a flourish. “You always have to adapt and ten days ago, we’d maybe have written two possible teams for the two games but you never really know what’s going to come your way,” said Southgate.

“We have lost more players than is normal and there’s some long-term injuries amidst that, which is a big shame for the players themselves, but then there’s always opportunities for the players coming in.

“In terms of the selection of the team we’re looking at things like what is the right balance with the different qualities of the players that we’ve put together so we have the best possible attacking output but also structure and balance behind that.”

England vs Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 18:50 , Mike Jones

The Three Lions arriving at Wembley.

Scotland secure late draw in Georgia after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia brace

Friday 17 November 2023 18:45 , Mike Jones

Lawrence Shankland headed a stoppage-time equaliser as Scotland averted more torment in Tbilisi with a 2-2 draw against Georgia.

The Hearts striker was a late call-up for the injured Che Adams and seized his chance when he headed home fellow substitute Stuart Armstrong’s cross two minutes into added time.

Scott McTominay earlier took his Euro 2024 qualifying campaign tally to seven goals when he cancelled out the first of two strikes from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Scotland secure late draw in Georgia after Kvaratskhelia brace

England team changes

Friday 17 November 2023 18:40 , Mike Jones

Gareth Southgate makes five changes to the England team that defeated Italy last time. It seems the manager has elected to go with a 3-4-3 formation as Harry Maguire retains his spot in defence but is joined by Marc Guehi and Fikayo Tomori in a back three.

Kieran Trippier and Trent Alexander-Arnold will push into midfield alongside the returning Jordan Henderson and Conor Gallagher while Phil Foden, Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford make up the forward line.

John Stones, Kyle Walker, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and Kalvin Phillips are the men to drop out.

England vs Malta starting line-ups

Friday 17 November 2023 18:36 , Mike Jones

England XI: Pickford, Trippier, Maguire, Guehi, Tomori, Alexander-Arnold, Henderson, Gallagher, Foden, Kane, Rashford

Malta XI: Bonello, S. Borg, Pepe, J. Borg, J. Mbong, Yankam, Guillaumier, Teuma, Camenzuli, P. Mbong, Reid

England vs Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 18:35 , Mike Jones

England have won all six of their matches against Malta, scoring 18 goals and conceding just once, with that coming via an own goal by goalkeeper Richard Wright in a 2-1 win in June 2000.

Malta’s two away games against England have ended in a 5-0 defeat in a European Championship qualifier in 1971 and a 2-0 loss in a World Cup qualifier in 2016, which was Gareth Southgate’s first match as England manager.

England vs Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 18:30 , Mike Jones

England have won all six of their matches against Malta, scoring 18 goals and conceding just once, with that coming via an own goal by goalkeeper Richard Wright in a 2-1 win in June 2000.

Malta’s two away games against England have ended in a 5-0 defeat in a European Championship qualifier in 1971 and 2-0 loss in a World Cup qualifier in 2016, which was Gareth Southgate’s first match as England manager.

England’s Euro 2024 squad: Who’s on the plane, who’s in contention and who has work to do?

Friday 17 November 2023 18:25 , Mike Jones

England players have only four more international games in which to impress Gareth Southgate before the manager names his squad for Euro 2024.

Southgate’s team qualified for the tournament, which will be hosted by Germany next summer, with a stylish 3-1 win over reigning champions Italy at Wembley Stadium, the venue for that agonising shootout defeat by the Azzurri in 2021.

Now England can look ahead to the Euros, with two final qualifiers against Group C minnows Malta and North Macedonia to come in November, before two friendlies at Wembley in the spring.

England’s Euro 2024 squad: Who’s on the plane and who has work to do?

England vs Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 18:20 , Mike Jones

England have met Malta on five previous occasions with the Three Lions enjoying a 100% win ratio against the Red Falcons. The first game came back in February 1971, when it ended in a 1-0 draw in Gzira courtesy of a first-half goal from Martin Peters.

Malta were also the first opposition for current England boss Gareth Southgate, as he took charge as interim manager for the game at Wembley in October 2016.

No drop in standards says Southgate

Friday 17 November 2023 18:15 , Mike Jones

With victories over Italy and Ukraine already under their belts, England have secured top spot in Group C but hey will be mathematically uncatchable if they pick up at least one point this evening.

Gareth Southgate has been clear that he does not want a drop off in standards for their final two games against minnows Malta and North Macedonia.

“England always have to win and the message is about our standards on the training pitch – being a top team stems from having good habits every day – never a day off if you’re a top player.” he said in the build-up to the game.

Southgate in injured left-backs

Friday 17 November 2023 18:10 , Mike Jones

With Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell both injured, England have something of a left-back problem with manager Gareth Southgate filling the position with non-specialist players during their absences.

“We have centre-backs who can slide across,” he said when talking about those who could play at left-back. “You’d like to have natural full-backs.

“The reality is that even if you look at the league, [Newcastle’s] Dan Burn is a centre-back playing at full-back, [Arsenal’s] Ben White is playing at full-back.

“Germany had [Benedikt] Howedes there when they won the World Cup. There are a vast number of English qualified left-backs who are injured in the league. There are different ways to solve those problems.”

Gareth Southgate highlights Sir Bobby Charlton legacy ahead of Wembley tribute

Friday 17 November 2023 18:05 , Mike Jones

Gareth Southgate showed footage of Sir Bobby Charlton to his squad ahead of England paying tribute to the 1966 World Cup winner at Wembley.

The jewel in the crown for club and country, the news of Charlton’s death at the age of 86 on October 21 reverberated around the world.

Southgate was at Charlton’s funeral at Manchester Cathedral on Monday and further tributes will be paid to the England and Manchester United great on Friday evening at Wembley.

Gareth Southgate highlights Sir Bobby Charlton legacy ahead of Wembley tribute

England vs Malta prediction

Friday 17 November 2023 18:00 , Mike Jones

Malta failed to have a shot against England in the reverse fixture at their home ground and things should play out in a similar way tonight. Gareth Southgate’s team will dominate and look to notch up as big a score as they can.

Jordan Pickford, or whichever goalkeeper Southgate elects to go with, will be in for a quiet time while the attacking talent will all be eager to get on the field.

England should win comfortably.

England 5-0 Malta.

England vs Malta team news and predicted line ups

Friday 17 November 2023 17:55 , Mike Jones

England have suffered a number of withdrawals from their squad for this fixture and their final qualifier against North Macedonia, with Jude Bellingham and James Maddison the headline names pulling out after strong starts to the season. There is still no place for Raheem Sterling among Gareth Southgate’s group, though, with Chelsea teammate Cole Palmer earning a call up instead and perhaps in line for a senior international debut.

Kemar Reid has earned a first call up for Malta, with the Floriana player now a naturalised citizen of the country. Jodi Jones of Notts County is among the foreign-based contingent and should feature up front, while midfielder Teddy Teuma is also back amongst things after missing the fixture against Italy earlier in the month with an ankle injury.

Predicted line-ups

England XI: Pickford; Walker, Maguire, Guehi, Trippier; Alexander-Arnold, Rice, Gallagher; Saka, Kane, Foden.

Malta XI: Bonnello; Mbong, S. Borg, Pepe, J. Borg, Camenzuli; Teuma, Guillaumier, Muscat; Jones, Nwoko.

How to watch England vs Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 17:50 , Mike Jones

England vs Malta is due to kick off at 7.45pm GMT on Friday 17 November at Wembley Stadium in London.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Channel 4, with coverage on the channel from 7pm GMT. A live stream will be available via the Channel 4 website and app.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

England vs Malta

Friday 17 November 2023 17:44 , Mike Jones

Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s international break action as England host Malta at Wembley in a qualifying match for Euro 2024.

The Three Lions have already secured their spot at next summer’s tournament and are aiming to finish at the top of the group in order to gain a high seeding for the Euros – which should lead to an easier group for that competition.

A few members of Gareth Southgate’s initial squad have dropped so their may be some surprises included in tonight’s starting line-up. Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis and Ezri Konsa have all been called up so they may feature over the next two matches with England also taking on North Macedonia on Monday.

We’ll have all the updates, team news and match action throughout the night so stick with us as e build up to kick off at 7.45pm.