It’s a huge day of international football for the Home Nations with some fighting for their Euro 2020 places and Anglo-Welsh bragging rights at stake. Northern Ireland and Scotland are involved in play-off semi-finals at 19:45 BST as they bid for a spot in next summer’s rearranged European Championship, while England and Wales – who have already qualified – face off in a much-anticipated friendly at Wembley.
After tonight, we could even be looking forward to a potential Northern Ireland-Republic of Ireland play-off final – which would be at Belfast’s Windsor Park – although they both have to get through tricky away games before they worry about that. Northern Ireland travel to Bosnia while the Republic visit Slovakia and victories for both in tonight’s one-legged ties would set up a mouth-watering all-Ireland showdown for Euro 2020 qualification.
Scotland’s task of progressing past Israel at Hampden Park has been made even more difficult by the absence of three players because of Covid-19. Stuart Armstrong, Kieran Tierney and Ryan Christie will all miss the semi-final after the former tested positive, with a final against Norway or Serbia awaiting the winners. Away from the Euro 2020 play-offs, England and Wales go head-to-head behind closed doors in a friendly (20:00 BST) that is expected to be no less competitive.
England won the last meeting, a 2-1 victory at Euro 2016, and have been victors in 67 of the 102 matches between the two sides, with the last of Wales’s 14 wins coming in the Home International Championship in 1984.
