England host Italy at Wembley on Tuesday night knowing victory over the Azzurri will ensure qualification to Euro 2024.
Gareth Southgate’s side won 2-1 in Naples in March and now could wrap up qualification with another success against the defending champions.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the main talking points ahead of the clash.
Arch rivalsThis will be the first clash between the two nations at Wembley since the Euro 2020 final – which Italy won on penalties.
Since then the sides have met on three occasions, twice in the Nations League before the fixture in Italy earlier this year.
England will be keen to exact a level of revenge on Tuesday night in a match which will have an impact on the outcome of the group.
Regular faces to returnAfter making 10 changes for Friday’s 1-0 friendly win over Australia, Southgate will no doubt bring back his big-hitters for the one competitive game of the October international break.
The team performance in the narrow victory will not have seen many of the rotated side push to replace the more established order.
Captain Harry Kane was an unused substitute against the Socceroos and will lead the line with the likes of Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham, who were not involved on Friday, returning.
Jordan jeered off again?Friday’s friendly against Australia saw Jordan Henderson line-up on home soil for the first time since his controversial summer switch from Liverpool to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq.
Henderson has been a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights and last month apologised for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal.
The stand-in skipper’s name was met by murmurs before kick-off and the midfielder ended up being booed when substituted, with Southgate left angry by a reaction he felt “defies logic”.
It remains to be seen, however, if the 33-year-old features against Italy, whether fans will respond in the same way.
Pressure off in NovemberVictory over Italy would seal England’s berth at Euro 2024 with two games of qualification still to play.
Those fixtures see Southgate’s side host minnows Malta at Wembley next month before travelling to face North Macedonia, who could still have an outside chance of reaching the finals themselves.
Going into those two games with the ability to experiment and look at players without the pressure of needing the points would be a handy outcome for Southgate, who has so little time to do so leading up to the finals.
Unsure AzzurriSouthgate said Italy have been “revitalised” under new head coach Luciano Spalletti, but defeat in London could cost the visitors dear.
They may have lifted the European Championship at Wembley two years ago but they went on to miss out on the 2022 World Cup and have Ukraine – and to a lesser extent North Macedonia – to keep at bay.
Ukraine travel to Malta on Tuesday and will leapfrog Italy into second place if they better the result of Spalletti’s men, meaning their showdown meeting in Leverkusen in the final round of fixtures could essentially be a play-off to make it to Euro 2024.
USWNT goalkeeper Naeher to retire from international football
United States goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is to retire from international football next month.
Naeher has won 113 caps for the USWNT and was a regular between the sticks during their most recent World Cup-winning campaign in 2019, also starting for Emma Hayes' Olympic Gold medallists in Paris earlier this year.
The 36-year-old, who has represented the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL since 2016, will link up with Hayes' side for their upcoming friendlies against England and the Netherlands, but that will be the final camp she attends.
Naeher said in a statement posted to her Instagram account: "With immense gratitude and very thoughtful consideration, I have decided to retire from the international game.
"Having the opportunity to be a part of the USWNT for the past 15 years has been the greatest honour.
"This has been a special team to be a part of and I am beyond proud of what we have achieved both on and off the field. The memories I have made over the years will last me a lifetime.
"I know one chapter is ending, but I am so excited to continue to see the growth of this team going forward and what more they can accomplish."
Hope Solo (202) and Briana Scurry (175) are the only goalkeepers to make more appearances for the team than Naeher, who made her debut versus Argentina in December 2014.
Mbappe position switch works wonders for Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti was satisfied his tactical decision to switch Kylian Mbappe's position in attack paid off in Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Leganes.
Mbappe scored his seventh goal of the season to help Madrid to a comfortable victory in LaLiga on Sunday.
However, his position in Madrid's front line has been a topic of debate since he joined the Spanish champions, with Mbappe having often played out wide while at Paris Saint-Germain.
And Ancelotti elected to switch Mbappe out to the left flank against Leganes, with Vinicius Junior spearheading Los Blancos' attack.
"Mbappe played on the left side, where he did well, and Vinicius on the inside," Ancelotti told reporters.
"We have to highlight their play to open the scoring. They did very, very well. Mbappe scored, after a fantastic assist from Vinicius. Little by little, they're both improving.
"Kylian is more used to playing there and today, for the team and for him, it was the best thing.
"Because playing on the outside brings more effort and Vinicius was back on Thursday. Meanwhile, Kylian had been training here for a week and a half, he was fresher."
Mbappe was not called up by France coach Didier Deschamps for this month's Nations League games, despite being Les Bleus' captain.
With an injury crisis at the back and a trip to Anfield to face Premier League and Champions League leaders Liverpool coming up, Ancelotti added he was hopeful of Lucas Vazquez, who has a hamstring strain, and Aurelien Tchouameni, who is recovering from a sprained left ankle, returning to action.
He was also upbeat about the contribution of Federico Valverde, who scored from a free-kick while filling in at right-back.
"The truth is that Fede, at the back, has done very well," said Ancelotti of the Uruguayan, who also wore the captain's armband.
"He's a fantastic fullback. After Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez, the best right-back in the world. His problem is that he can play at this level in many positions and is the coach's problem to choose the best position for the team.
"Let's see if Lucas and Tchouameni can recover. If not, we will make decisions."
Jude Bellingham netted Madrid's other goal as Ancelotti's team closed to within four points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona, who drew 2-2 with Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Madrid also have a game in hand on Hansi Flick's side.
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