Italy vs England live: Team news, lineups and more from Euro 2024 qualifiers tonight

Kane is able to break another record

Skipper Harry Kane tied Wayne Rooney as England’s all-time leading goalscorer when he scored his first penalty against France in the World Cup quarter-final loss.

He then missed another penalty to go away on 54 as Southgate’s side crashed into the final. Since then, Kane has become Tottenham’s record goalscorer and will aim to find the net in Napoli to claim the title for England as well.

Italy targets Vialli victory

The visit to England will be Italy’s first match since the death of former striker and coach Gianluca Vialli in January. The 58-year-old has won 59 senior caps and served as an assistant to Roberto Mancini as the Azzurri lifted the European Championship trophy at Wembley in 2021.

Mancini has already said he wants to win the match as a tribute to his friend and teammate, while Italy will wear special one-off jerseys for the occasion.

Speculation abounded that Gareth Southgate would step down after England’s World Cup quarter-final exit in December. But, after some soul-searching, the manager chose to stay put and focus on leading England to their first senior honor since 1966.

A sluggish start to these qualifiers could add to the pressure on the 52-year-old as he aims for the three points to lead him to a half-century of victories.

England defender Ben Chilwell insists he is mentally stronger after returning from an injury that forced him to miss the World Cup.

The Chelsea left-back tore his hamstring just two weeks before the tournament and missed the trip to Qatar.

However, having regained his fitness, he has been called on by manager Gareth Southgate and is determined to take the positives from the experience.

“Of course it’s very difficult mentally,” he told a news conference. “All footballers go through periods in their careers when things are tough mentally and you have to be resilient, be strong, get through it and get through the other side stronger.

“That’s the way I tried to look at things like the injuries I had and missing the World Cup.”

England haven’t beaten Italy in Italy in over 60 years, so it’s a daunting task for Gareth Southgate’s men.

European champions Roberto Mancini lost 2-0 to Austria last time out, and with England’s front line in fantastic form, the Three Lions could cause an upset and get their qualifying campaign off to a great start.

More realistically, this would be a tense and cautious affair in a hostile environment for England and they would do well to avoid defeat.

Italy XI: Donnarumma; Scalvini, Bonucci, Acerbi; DiLorenzo, Barella, Verratti, DiMarco; Politano, Berardi, Griffo

England XI: Pickford. Trippier, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Rice, Bellingham, Henderson; Saka, Ken, Foden

Roberto Mancini included three players who were not named to the 30-man squad for this opening Euro 2024 qualifier. Lecce goalkeeper Vladimiro Falcone, Torino defender Alessandro Bongiorno and Atletico Tigre striker Matteo Retegui were named to the national squad for the first time. Ciro Immobile will be absent due to injury, while Giacomo Raspadori of Napoli and Gianluca Scamaka of West Ham United will miss playing time, as Mancini chose Scamamaca over Raspadori.

Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount and Nick Pope have pulled out of the England squad due to injuries, while there were some notable omissions when Southgate’s squad was announced last week. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Callum Wilson and Ben White are not included but there are spots for Calvin Phillips and Evan Toney. Raheem Sterling is injured.

Italy hosts England at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples for the opening match of the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers that kicks off at 7.45pm.

The match is broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK with coverage starting at 7pm.

Good evening and welcome The Independent Coverage of tonight’s European qualifying match between Italy and England in Naples. The road to Euro 2024 begins tonight with a repeat of the Euro 2020 final, which Italy won on penalties.

The two teams are in Group C along with Ukraine, North Macedonia and Malta. The top two from each group will qualify for the final tournament to be held in Germany next summer.

Hosts tonight’s match at Diego Armando Maradona’s stadium in Naples and stops England’s work. They haven’t won in Italy since a friendly in Rome in 1961 – more than 60 years ago.

The Three Lions have also failed to beat the Italians in each of their past six encounters, a streak dating back more than a decade. Will tonight be the night England finally get the better of their old rivals?