England have travelled to Skopje for their final outing of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign as they take on North Macedonia this evening.
The Three Lions are hoping to see out qualifying without a loss as they are unbeaten through their seven matches so far, winning six and drawing once against Ukraine. They have already secured a place at the tournament in Germany next summer and are guaranteed to finish top of Group C.
Gareth Southgate’s side defeated Malta 2-0 at Wembley on Friday night but they were sluggish and disjointed throughout meaning the manager will be looking for a much-improved performance in tonight’s contest.
North Macedonia sit fourth in the group having only beaten Malta so far. Earlier in the campaign they drew 1-1 with Italy and put up a good fight against the European champions last time out before fading to a 5-2 defeat. With home advantage on their side as well, the hosts will make things challenging for England if they are not at their best.
Follow all the action from this Euro 2024 qualifier below plus get the latest odds and tips right here:
North Macedonia vs England live
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England take on North Macedonia in a Euro 2024 qualifier with kick off at 7.45pm
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The Three Lions defeated Malta 2-0 last time out but will want to improve on that performance
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Kieran Trippier withdrew from the squad to deal with a personal matter and has not travelled with the team
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North Macedonia XI: Dimitrievski, Manev, Serafimov, Musliu, Dimoski, Atanasov, Alimi, Alioski, Miovski, Bardhi, Elmas
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England XI: Pickford, Walker, Maguire, Guehi, Lewis, Alexander-Arnold, Rice, Saka, Foden, Grealish, Watkins
North Macedonia – England
Declan Rice putting pressure of price tag behind him to pursue biggest prizes
19:30 , Mike Jones
Declan Rice went to the World Cup surrounded by England team-mates who had won the biggest prizes in the game – now he is a £105million player who insists he is not fazed by the price tag having lifted European silverware and instantly taken to Champions League football.
The 24-year-old admitted a year ago in Qatar that he wanted to play at the highest level and left West Ham in the summer after captaining them to Europa Conference League glory.
Rice moved across London to Arsenal, joining the Gunners for a club-record fee and has hit the ground running with a run of fine performances for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Declan Rice putting pressure of price tag behind him to pursue biggest prizes
North Macedonia vs England
19:25 , Mike Jones
England have won eight of their last nine games in all competitions (one draw) since losing against France in the 2022 World Cup.
Victory here would mean their highest-ever win rate across a single calendar year in which they played at least 10 matches (90%).
North Macedonia vs England
19:20 , Mike Jones
North Macedonia have won just one of their last six European Championship qualifiers (one draw, four defeats), conceding 17 goals across those four defeats.
Since drawing 0-0 at Israel back in March 2007, England have scored in 19 consecutive away European Championship qualifiers, the longest run of any nation in qualifying history.
They have netted 55 goals in those games, an average of 2.9 per game.
Rico Lewis hopes his versatility helps him make late push for Euro 2024 squad
19:15 , Mike Jones
Rico Lewis is hoping his versatility will work in his favour as he aims to make a late charge to Euro 2024.
Gareth Southgate will name a 23-man squad for next summer’s finals in Germany, having been able to pick 26 players for both Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.
That means competition for places will be more fierce than in recent years, with Southgate admitting those who are more adaptable could have the edge.
Rico Lewis hopes his versatility helps him make late push for Euro 2024 squad
North Macedonia vs England
19:10 , Mike Jones
Manchester City’s Rico Lewis turns 19 tomorrow. Given England’s lack of options at left-back and Lewis rising star status with the Premier League champions he is a given to start in that position tonight.
It’ll mark the teenager’s senior debut for England. Some birthday present.
Southgate on tonight’s priorities
19:05 , Mike Jones
After a lacklustre performance against Malta on Friday, and with Euro 2024 qualification already secure, Gareth Southgate outlined what his priorties are for this evening’s game.
“Performance is the priority,” Southgate said. “We didn’t reach that standard on Friday. We have to get back to what we’re good at.
“There’s always a chance within that to have a look at a couple of things that we’d like to see as well but the biggest thing is making sure we hit the level of performance that we’ve set ourselves this year.”
North Macedonia vs England
19:00 , Mike Jones
England have won both of their previous away games against North Macedonia.
2-1 in September 2003 with Wayne Rooney and David Beckham goals and 1-0 in September 2006 thanks to a Peter Crouch winner.
Can they make it three from three tonight?
North Macedonia vs England
18:55 , Mike Jones
North Macedonia are winless in five international meetings with England with two draws and three defeats. They lost 7-0 against the Three Lions in June in the most recent encounter between the teams.
Can they improve this evening?
Southgate on left-back issues
18:50 , Mike Jones
With Kieran Trippier withdrawing from the England squad ahead of tonight’s match, there is a big vacancy in the left-back role.
Ben Chilwell, Levi Colwill and Luke Shaw all currently out injured and Gareth Southgate was asked ‘what he was thinking’ when it came to left-backs for tonight’s game.
He replied: “That we need to adapt and that we have a couple of different options. We are comfortable with it and that we can find a good solution to the issue.
“We haven’t got somebody that is playing there regularly, but we’ve adapted to lots of situations over the last few years and we’re comfortable with doing that again tomorrow.”
England team changes
18:46 , Mike Jones
Gareth Southgate has made six changes to the England team that started the match against Malta. In the backline comes Kyle Walker and Rico Lewis who replace Kieran Trippier and Fikayo Tomori.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is the only one to keep his spot in midfield as Jordan Henderson and Conor Gallagher are replaced with Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice.
Phil Foden looks likely to move into a central position with Saka starting on the right wing, over on the left Jack Grealish comes in for Marcus Rashford and Ollie Watkins takes Harry Kane’s place as the centre forward.
North Macedonia vs England line-ups
18:40 , Mike Jones
North Macedonia XI: Dimitrievski, Manev, Serafimov, Musliu, Dimoski, Atanasov, Alimi, Alioski, Miovski, Bardhi, Elmas
England XI: Pickford, Walker, Maguire, Guehi, Lewis, Alexander-Arnold, Rice, Saka, Foden, Grealish, Watkins
Kieran Trippier withdraws from England squad ahead of trip to North Macedonia
18:35 , Mike Jones
Kieran Trippier will play no part in England’s final Euro 2024 qualifier as the defender has withdrawn from the national team squad due to a personal matter.
The team underwent their final training session at Tottenham Hotspur’s training ground earlier today before they fly out to Skopje for the match against North Macedonia tomorrow night.
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, the England social media account announced Trippier’s departure saying: “22 players are out for today’s session at Spurs Official’s training ground ahead of our final Euro 2024 qualifier.
“[Kieran Trippier] has departed the ThreeLions camp, owing to a personal matter and will not travel to North Macedonia.”
Kieran Trippier withdraws from England squad ahead of trip to North Macedonia
North Macedonia vs England
18:33 , Mike Jones
England have arrived in Skopje. Team news coming shortly…
North Macedonia vs England
18:30 , Mike Jones
England have met North Macedonia on five previous occasions, having previously been drawn alongside each other in successive European Championships qualifying groups for Euro 2004 and Euro 2008.
The first encounter came at St. Mary’s Stadium in Southampton. England went behind twice in the game but ended up securing a 2-2 draw thanks to strikes from David Beckham and Steven Gerrard.
The second game ended 0-0 at Old Trafford during Steve McClaren’s reign and the most recent clash also took place at Manchester United’s home ground with the Three Lions impressing in a 7-0 victory in this year’s Euro 2024 qualifying.
Gareth Southgate wants vastly-improved display from England in North Macedonia
18:25 , Mike Jones
Gareth Southgate says “performance is the priority” in North Macedonia as already-qualified England look to make up for winning with a whimper against minnows Malta.
The Euro 2020 runners-up sealed their place at next summer’s edition with two matches to spare and were below par in Friday’s qualifier.
England disappointed a packed Wembley crowd by limping to a 2-0 victory over Malta, leading the manager to suggest his players had subconsciously taken their foot off the gas.
Southgate did not castigate those that have done so well for him over the years, but he is demanding a vastly-improved display in North Macedonia as they bring the curtain down on 2023.
Gareth Southgate wants vastly-improved display from England in North Macedonia
Southgate agrees with Rice on England’s performance versus Malta
18:20 , Mike Jones
Gareth Southgate echoed the thoughts of Declan Rice saying that he’s hoping for an improved performance from England tonight and wants to end the year well.
“We weren’t at the level of performance that we wanted on Friday so we are all focused on tomorrow’s game.” He said at the pre-match press conference yesterday.
“We play a team who, although they can’t qualify, have tremendous pride and they’ll be wounded by what happened in Manchester [when England won 7-0], so we have to be ready for a really good, really good atmosphere and a full stadium.
“We’ve had a calendar year where we’ve been very good, so we want to finish well.”
North Macedonia vs England
18:15 , Mike Jones
The Three Lions are unbeaten since just being edged out in the World Cup last year by finalists France.
They have already secured their place in next summer’s Euro 2024 in Germany and could complete this qualifying campaign without a loss if they avoid defeat to North Macedonia tonight.
Rice wants England to end the year with a bang
18:10 , Mike Jones
Declan Rice took the pre-match press conference alongside England boss Gareth Southgate and spoke about the team’s plans for tonight’s match and I how he wants England to end the year on a high.
“Look, we know how good they are,” said Rice, “Even though we won quite big in Manchester, we knew before the game some of the quality they have on the pitch and some of the star players they have.
“We were wary of that and we will be wary of that again tomorrow night, especially after the other night against Malta – just a bit of pride in ourselves that we need to raise the level, we need to put out a statement and it’ll be a good way to end the year.
“We are currently unbeaten since the World Cup, so it’s down to us to go out tomorrow night and put on a performance. I feel like we have to be mentally prepared, have the right mentality, be ready for a hostile environment and make sure that we go out of this year with a bang.
“So we’ll be ready for whatever they throw at us.”
Declan Rice shares thoughts on VAR after England screamer ruled out: ‘I was gutted’
18:05 , Mike Jones
Declan Rice has shared his thoughts on VAR after his impressive goal against Malta was ruled out by the technology.
The Arsenal midfielder curled an effort into the net from the edge of the box, but it was chalked off after Harry Kane was adjudged to have been stood in an offside position, blocking the goalkeeper’s view.
Ahead of England’s fixture against North Macedonia on Monday night, Rice was asked if he is a “fan” of VAR and how he felt when his goal was ruled out.
North Macedonia vs England prediction
18:00 , Mike Jones
Follow their less than stellar outing against Malta last Friday, England will be looking to impress as they take on North Macedonia away from home tonight. Expect a much-improved performance, albeit against sterner opposition.
North Macedonia 1-4 England.
Early team news and predicted line-ups
17:55 , Mike Jones
Gareth Southgate has had to deal with a host of injuries in this camp with Jude Bellingham, James Maddison, Levi Colwill, Callum Wilson and Lewis Dunk all pulling out, while Kalvin Phillips was unavailable for personal reasons.
Kieran Tripper has since also departed the squad due to a personal matter, Jarrod Bowen is injured, while Marcus Rashford might not be risked on Monday after being substituted following a collision with Trent Alexander-Arnold in the game against Malta.
North Macedonia head coach Blagoja Milevski, meanwhile, may look to rotate his team following their defeat against Italy, with Jani Atanasov – scorer of a brace off the bench against Italy – potentially in line for a start.
Predicted line-ups
North Macedonia XI: Dimitrievski, Ashkovski, Serafimov, Musliu, Dimoski, Atanasov, Elezi, Alioski, Ristovski, Bardhi, Elmas.
England XI: Pickford; Walker, Konsa, Maguire, Lewis; Alexander-Arnold, Rice, Gallagher; Grealish, Kane, Saka.
How to watch North Macedonia vs England
17:50 , Mike Jones
North Macedonia vs England is due to kick off at 7.45pm GMT tonight, Monday 20 November, at the National Arena Tose Proeski in Skopje.
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.
North Macedonia vs England
17:45 , Mike Jones
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Euro 2024 qualifier as England take on North Macedonia in the final qualifying match of their campaign.
The Three Lions have already secured a spot in Germany for next summer’s tournament and Friday night’s victory over Malta ensured they will finish top of Group C.
The team’s performance during that 2-0 victory was suspect though and at times they were challenged by a side that haven’t won a match during this qualifying run.
Gareth Southgate will be hoping his players can round out 2023 in style with another victory tonight but more importantly a performance the fans can get behind which will give England some momentum heading into the new year.
We’ll have all the team news, updates and match action throughout the evening so stick around as we build up to kick off at 7.45pm.
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