England will be fighting for survival of their Nations League A status in the last two matches before the 2022 World Cup.
This international break, the final game of their three-year tenure, will see the Three Lions take on Germany and Italy. Before the Qatar showpiece tournament.
Gareth Southgate’s priority will be to return to form ahead of the World Cup, having failed to win any of their previous four games.
England are bottom of Group A3 and can’t reach the Nations League finals – even with wins in their remaining two fixtures.
They can still be relegated, and England will want to avoid League B.
What does this mean? talkSPORT.com has you covered…
England is demoted from Nations League: What does this mean?
England will be demoted if they lose against Italy on Friday. This would mean that the Three Lions will drop to League B.
The obvious initial impact from that would be that the country won’t be able to challenge for the Nations League title in 2024/25.
Only League A teams are eligible to compete for silverware. England, however, is forced to place emphasis on promotion in next edition.
Southgate spoke out about the positive effects that playing on top teams can have on the team’s development.
Dropping down in the Nations League would mean that there would be no glamourous clashes with Germany or Italy, and instead trips to Albania or Iceland would be possible.
Relegation would also damage England’s coefficient, which could put them in bad stead for European Championship qualifying seedings ahead of the draw on October 9.
This could mean that the Three Lions will face a harder qualification group than Euro 2024 in Germany.
Italy v England: talkSPORT coverage
This Nations League Group A3 tie will take place on Friday, September 23.
It will be held at the San Siro, Milan, and will begin at 7:45 PM UK time.
talkSPORT’s coverage will start at 7pm with Adrian Durham while commentary will come from Jim Proudfoot and former England defender Stuart Pearce.
TalkSPORT.com will also host a live blog to keep you updated on all the action.
Click here to tune into talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2, through the website You can watch the live stream HERE. You can also listen via TalkSPORT appDAB digital radio through your smart speaker or on 1089 and 1053 AM.
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