Ukraine vs England – Euro 2024 Qualifying LIVE: Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions can open up a nine-point gap to the rest of the group with a win in Poland

Follow Mail Sport‘s live blog for all the latest as Gareth Southgate’s England take on Ukraine knowing a win will give them a commanding lead atop Group C, with coverage from MAX MATHEWS.

Ukraine 0-0 England

3: The early pattern of the game is clear. England are passing it around at the back, both centre backs high up the pitch, while Ukraine stay narrow and deep inside their own half.

Suddenly star boy Jude Bellingham drops a shoulder and bursts past his opposite man, injecting some much-needed pace into the attack, and plays it through to Saka, but Matviyenko does well to shepherd the ball out of play.

KICK OFF: Ukraine 0-0 England

1: Here we go! England can go NINE points clear at the top of Group C and effectively guarantee qualification for next summer’s tournament in Germany.

Can they do it? Let’s find out!

Who wouldn't love to see this bloke today?

Wonderful player, our Ebs. Hope he gets some game time in Wroclaw, south-western Poland.

It’s only the fourth game in charge for former Tottenham striker Sergiy Rebrov, by the way.

And don't get me started on Jordan Henderson!

ANYWAY. How is European Championship Qualifying Group C going? Let’s check out the table…

Ukraine are in a surprise second place ahead of Italy and will be desperate for points knowing the Azzurri will be on their tail.

Here come the anthems…

So what's the fuss about?

Frankly, Gareth Southgate has the impossible job. Every man, woman and their dog think they can do a better job in picking the England men’s football team, but he’s the man who’s earnt his role and is the one who sees them in training.

With all that said, he’s not above questions or criticisms. Much of the team is actually pretty nailed-on. I reckon the only two selections that have confounded fans are Harry Maguire at centre back and Jordan Henderson in midfield.

Obviously, John Stones is the best centre back in the country. It’s who goes next to him, that’s the question, and with him out, you need two others to start.

Marc Guehi – though I’m biased as a Crystal Palace fan – is absolutely outstanding and deserves to start. Most wouldn’t be too upset with him playing.

Maguire – though out of the picture at his club – is vastly experienced at international level (57 caps), has very rarely let England down, is the fourth-highest scorer in the squad and is great in both boxes.

That experience is especially important when you consider Guehi, Tomori, Colwill and Dunk only have eight caps between them. Good players, all of them, but green at international level. So I understand why Maguire is in.

That said, I’d have picked Guehi next to Tomori. Colwill is very talented and will be better for the experience of training and being around the squad, forget Lewis Dunk (he’s 31, Geoff), and you won’t learn anything new about Maguire.

Realistically, we will almost certainly qualify even if England lose today, so you might as well drop Tomori and Guehi into competitive games with genuine jeopardy to see how they fare, rather than 90 minutes against minnows where you’re never tested.

My two cents!

Not long before the players emerge from the dressing room…

Plenty of controversy about the team news – we’ll discuss that shortly…

Looking lively in Wroclaw, Poland!

TEAM NEWS REACTION: Ukraine

In goal, Dynamo Kiev’s Heorhiy Bushchan (so many h’s!) is the No 1 ahead of Real Madrid deputy Andriy Lunin.

At the back, Yukhym Konoplia is at right back, with Bournemouth’s Illya Zabarnyi and reported Brighton target Mykola Matviyenko in the middle, flanked by Everton’s Vitalii Mykolenko on the left.

Experienced defensive midfielder Taras Stepanenko has Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko and Shakhtar Donetsk’s Heorhiy Sudakov either side.

Roman Yaremchuk of Valencia is the lone striker, with Chelsea winger Mkyhailo Mudryk on the left and Viktor Tsyhankov edging out captain Andriy Yarmolenko on the right wing.

TEAM NEWS REACTION: England

As expected, Jordan Pickford lines up in goal.

In defence, Kyle Walker edges out Kieran Trippier at right back, with Ben Chilwell the only out-and-out left back in the squad after Luke Shaw’s injury.

Marc Guehi wins the race to line up alongside the seemingly undroppable Harry Maguire, ahead of Levi Colwill, Fikayo Tomori and Lewis Dunk.

In midfield, Rice and Bellingham are (fairly) guarantees, while Jordan Henderson, of the mighty Al-Ettifaq, plays in midfield.

Makes sense, when you think Kalvin Phillips (who I like as a player and person but hasn’t played a single minute of competitive football this season) is the only real central midfield option on the bench, alongside Conor Gallagher.

That’s also assuming Ebere Eze, Phil Foden and James Maddison couldn’t play as a No 8 or a No 10 if Bellingham drops deeper.

In attack, Saka and Kane are locked in, while Maddison plays out of position on the left – ahead of Foden, Marcus Rashford and Eze, due to his stellar early-season form for new club Tottenham.

Breaking: Zinchenko and Mudryk line up for Ukraine

Four Premier League stars in the Ukraine line-up today.

No Colwill this time…

Marc Guehi and Harry Maguire have been given the nod against Ukraine in the absence of John Stones, and Gareth Southgate has opted to trust those with international experience to get the job done in Poland.

But Mail Sport columnist MARTIN KEOWN feels it’s time to find a new formula in defence ahead of the Euro 2024 championships next summer and hoped to see Chelsea’s Levi Colwill get a chance over the internatioanl break.

The ex-Arsenal star takes a look at England’s defensive options ahead of next summer…

Breaking: Maguire and Henderson START for England

Gareth Southgate has put his faith in Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson once again, while Marcus Rashford is set to start the match from the bench.

It looks like a lopsided 4-3-3 of sorts from Southgate, who has named a front three of Harry Kane (C), Bukayo Saka and James Maddison behind Jude Bellingham, Henderson and Declan Rice in midfield.

Meanwhile, Marc Guehi will partner Maguire at the heart of defence, with Kyle Walker and Ben Chilwell either side of them. Jordan Pickford keeps his place in goal.

Three Lions Pride group prepares for Jordan Henderson protest

Reports have suggested that Jordan Henderson is in line to start against Ukraine tonight, and the ex-Liverpool captain is likley to be met with a protest in the stands following his controversial £700,000-a-week move to Saudi Arabia.

The 33-year-old publicly advocated LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Anfield but now that he’s joined Al-Ettifaq, many fans feel he has abandoned his views, seeing as homosexuality is criminalised in the Middle Eastern country.

The Three Lions Pride supporters group is preparing to ‘turn their backs’ on Henderson if he plays against Ukraine, feeling that they are doing to him what he’s done to them.

Read Mail Sport’s full story below…

Who deserves a starting spot?

The likes of Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips could start against Ukraine with Gareth Southgate concerned about the lack depth at his disposal.

Several of Southgate’s defensive regulars such as John Stones, Luke Shaw and Tyrone Mings are out with injury, but seeing as Maguire has only played a handful of minutes this season, many fans are crying out for new stars to get opportunities.

So who should win a start against Ukraine? Mail Sport crunched Sofascore’s numbers to take a look…

Good afternoon

Hello!

England’s Euro 2024 qualifying campaign continues this afternoon in Poland as Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions take on Ukraine at Tarczynski Arena.

Mail Sport will be here before and throughout the game to bring you all the latest news and updates, from breaking team news to match action.

Stay tuned!

TOP STORIES

Source: Read Full Article