
Ashes revenge or a famous Socceroos win? – England v Australia talking points
England host Australia in a sold-out friendly at Wembley on Friday evening. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at five of the main talking points ahead of the international encounter. Some Ashes revenge for England? There is a long sporting rivalry between these countries and revenge would be sweet after an epic Ashes summer ended with the urn returning Down Under. Jonny Bairstow’s controversial stumping by Alex Carey particularly stuck in the craw during a dramatic 2-2 series draw that saw emotions run high. England have the chance to exact a slither of revenge under the arch on Friday, when Gareth Southgate expects the sporting rivalry to “add an extra edge” to the occasion. …or will there be a famous second Socceroos win? This will be the first time these nations have met at Wembley, with the only previous two encounters on English soil played at the Stadium of Light and Upton Park. Wayne Rooney made his debut in the latter friendly in February 2003, but it was Australia that won 3-1 on the night. It is the only time England have lost in seven meetings with the Socceroos and Graham Arnold’s side, ranked 27th in the world, would love nothing more than to repeat the feat on Friday. A chance to experiment for Southgate Last month’s friendly against Scotland ended a run of 16 successive competitive matches for England, covering last year’s Nations League campaign, the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024 qualification. Southgate said before the game that over-experimenting at Hampden Park would be “ridiculous” but still managed to try a few things as his side ran out 3-1 victors. Lewis Dunk made his second international start – five years after his first – in central defence alongside Marc Guehi, while Aaron Ramsdale got the nod in goal. Southgate will be tempted to look at several areas of the squad again this time, including uncapped Levi Colwill at left-back, returning Jarrod Bowen in attack and Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield. Can Watkins or Nketiah stake claim to be Kane deputy? Harry Kane’s goalscoring feats are as impressive as they are well documented. Already the highest scoring man in England’s history, he will match Sir Bobby Charlton’s 23-goal international haul at Wembley if he scores against Australia. But Southgate may well be tempted to try a different striker given their inability to find a reliable back-up to the Bayern Munich player. Callum Wilson fulfilled the role in Qatar but is injured this time around, with in-form Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins receiving his first call-up since March 2022. Uncapped Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, England Under-21s’ all-time top scorer, is another man looking to push his claim to be Kane’s deputy ahead of the Euros. Israel-Palestine victims to be remembered Black armbands will be worn and a period of silence observed before Friday’s friendly to remember the innocent victims of the conflict in Israel and Palestine. The Football Association has confirmed its plans to pay tribute, having come under pressure to illuminate the Wembley arch in the colours of the Israeli flag following attacks by Hamas militants over the weekend which were followed by Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Flags, replica kits and other representations of nationality not linked to England or Australia will not be permitted inside Wembley. Read More FA criticised for ‘weak response’ to Israel and Palestine conflict Sebastian Korda defeats Ben Shelton to book first ATP 1000 semi-final in Shanghai 5 talking points as Republic of Ireland seek strong end to Euro 2024 qualifying Abbas Miski: Huge honour to be first Lebanese player to feature in Grand Final Sam Tomkins to haunt his former side? – Super League Grand Final talking points Stephen Kenny: Republic of Ireland must still believe in Euro 2024 qualification
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What do Scotland need to qualify for Euro 2024?
Scotland sit top of Pool A going into tonight’s match against Spain and are on track to qualify for Euro 2024 having gained 15 points over five games. The United Kingdom and Ireland were officially awarded the tournament for 2028 on Tuesday, but Germany play host to the tournament next year, meaning a golden opportunity for the Tartan Army to feature at consecutive European Championships. Scotland are currently six points ahead of Spain, who have a game in hand, and still have Georgia and Norway to face in November to complete the Euro qualifiers. If Scotland draw or win against Spain, they will qualify for Euro 2024. However, they can also qualify with some help from the other Pool A match between Norway and Cyprus. If Norway lose or draw to beat Cyprus, then Scotland will also qualify regardless of their result against Spain. A brace from Scott McTominay saw Steve Clarke’s side storm to a 2-0 victory over Spain at Hampden Park in March. It was Spain manager Luis de la Fuente’s second game in charge. “I don’t see it as revenge,” he said as he previewed the second match against Scotland. “I see it as a game, we’ll fight to win and it’s a responsibility because we represent a country. “It’s not revenge, it’s another football game, a very important one, but a game. “The team gives me confidence, security, they are responsible, professional, add the talent the players have and I am very calm. “Of course we drew conclusions (after the defeat), the important one is that now we’re better than we were then, a better team than we were,” he added. If Scotland lose and fail to qualify this week, they will qualify with a win in their penultimate match next month against Georgia. If they draw that game, they will still qualify if Norway fail to beat Spain. If Scotland draw against Georgia and Norway defeat Spain, Scotland will still qualify even with a one-goal loss in their home match to Norway to finish off Group A, provided they have a superior goal difference in the group. Scotland currently have a +11 goal difference with Norway on -1. If Scotland lose to Spain and then also lose to Georgia, while Norway win back-to-back games against Cyprus and Spain, Scotland would be required to draw at home to Norway in the final match to qualify. Even if Scotland lose their final three matches, they could still qualify even after Norway win their final three matches, should Spain fail to win either of their final two matches against Cyprus and Georgia. If Spain only win one of those final two matches and also finish on 15 points with Scotland behind Norway, on 16 points in this scenario, then the head-to-head rule would apply against Spain, with Scotland currently holding a 2-0 advantage after their win at Hampden Park. "I think when we played them in March, so we’re probably just in a little bit of transition between the previous coach and the new coach," Scotland manager Clarke said. "They’d had a disappointing World Cup campaign so maybe we got them at a good time. We know we have to be very, very good to get a positive result,” he added ahead of the fixture in Seville. Read More Is Spain v Scotland on TV? Channel, start time and how to watch Euro 2024 qualifier online tonight How Scotland became the one team Rodri could not defeat Euro 2028: Will host nations get automatic qualification? How Scotland became the one team Rodri could not defeat Is Spain v Scotland on TV? Channel, start time and how to watch Euro 2024 qualifier Bukayo Saka ‘in contention’ for Arsenal vs Man City as Gareth Southgate reveals plan
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