Friday’s European Qualifiers on Sky

Team news and previews ahead of Friday’s internationals, featuring France, Portugal, England and more.

Iceland vs France – 7.45pm, live on Sky Sports Football

Team news: Iceland will be missing captain Aron Gunnarsson, who is ruled out through injury, although Premier League players Gylfi Sigurdsson and Johann Berg Gudmundsson should feature.

France have a rather lengthy injury list. Kylian Mbappe, Hugo Lloris, Paul Pogba, Aymeric Laporte and Anthony Martial are just a few of the players who will not feature against Iceland, or Turkey on Tuesday.

Kylian Mbappe will not feature for France due to injury

Steve Mandanda should come in for Lloris, while some of the younger players in France’s squad could get their opportunity in Reykjavik.

How to watch: Coverage starts on Sky Sports Football from 7.40pm; kick-off is at 7.45pm.

What’s the state of play in Group H? It’s a pivotal week in Group H as France get set to face Iceland and Turkey. Two wins from two for Didier Deschamps’ side, who currently sit second in the group behind Turkey on goal difference and three points ahead of third-placed Iceland, would see them take a huge stride towards qualification.

Albania, who are six points behind Turkey and France, will be hoping they can still sneak into the qualification spots with four games to go, but there’s not much room for error for Edoardo Reja’s side.

Coming up in Group H: October 11 – Iceland vs France, Turkey vs Albania, Andorra vs Moldova; October 14 – France vs Turkey, Iceland vs Andorra, Moldova vs Albania

Charlie Nicholas’ prediction: “Iceland are good, but they have been fighting above their weight for a while, so I am fancying France to walk away with the win here. France have too much strength, and Antoine Griezmann, although not quite firing for Barcelona yet, will play his part in a France win in this one.”

CHARLIE PREDICTS: 0-2 (5/1 with Sky Bet)

Iceland vs France

October 11, 2019, 7:40pm

Live on

Portugal vs Luxembourg – 7.45pm, live on Sky Sports Premier League

Team news: Portugal have no serious injury issues, and star names such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix, Bernardo Silva and Goncalo Guedes have all been included in the squad.

Olympiakos centre-back Ruben Semedo has been named in the squad for the first time, while Barcelona’s Nelson Semedo is expected to start ahead of Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo at right-back.

Luxembourg also have a clean bill of health, with Maurice Deuville expected to lead the line in a 4-5-1 formation and Dynamo Kiev midfielder Gerson Rodrigues arguably their greatest goal threat.

Ruben Semedo has been included in Portgual’s squad for the first time

How to watch: Coverage starts on Sky Sports Premier League from 7.40pm; kick-off is at 7.45pm.

What’s the state of play in Group B? Life is looking pretty rosy at the top of Group B for Ukraine, who look set to qualify for their third Euro finals in a row. A win over Lithuania on Friday would all but see them through; four more points would definitely be enough.

Portugal are far from assured of a chance to retain the trophy they won in France in 2016, but they do have a game in hand over third-placed Serbia and a win over minnows Luxembourg would give them some breathing space.

Luxembourg’s unlikely shot at a place will be over with defeat to Portugal, while Lithuania must provide a huge shock in Ukraine if they want to keep their dreams alive.

Coming up in Group B: October 11 – Portugal vs Luxembourg, Ukraine vs Lithuania; October 14 – Ukraine vs Portugal, Lithuania vs Serbia

Portugal vs Luxembourg

October 11, 2019, 7:40pm

Live on

Other matches

All other matches are live on Sky Sports Football via the Red Button, or the Sky Sports app. All kick-offs are 7.45pm, unless stated.

Here’s the full list:

• Andorra vs Moldova
• Montenegro vs Bulgaria
• Turkey vs Albania
• Ukraine vs Lithuania

Czech Republic vs England

1:43

James Maddison has withdrawn from the England squad for the upcoming European Qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria due to illness

James Maddison has withdrawn from the England squad for the upcoming European Qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria due to illness

Team news: England were dealt an injury blow on Thursday as James Maddison pulled out of the squad through illness, meaning he will not feature against the Czech Republic or Bulgaria. Fabian Delph (hamstring) and Tom Heaton have also withdrawn through injury, with Sheffield United goalkeeper Dean Henderson replacing the latter.

Tammy Abraham could earn his first competitive England cap, having previously played in friendlies, while Chelsea team-mate Fikayo Tomori is in the senior squad for the first time and could make his first England appearance. Tyrone Mings also awaits his first cap for his country.

For the Czech Republic, Filip Novak, David Hovorka and David Pavelka are all injured, while defensive midfielder Lukas Kalvach could make his debut.

0:32

Fikayo Tomori says he has no doubts about playing for England after being called up to the squad to face the Czech Republic and Bulgaria

Fikayo Tomori says he has no doubts about playing for England after being called up to the squad to face the Czech Republic and Bulgaria

What’s the state of play? It’s starting to look like a case of when, not if, for England. After an entertaining win over nearest rivals Kosovo last time out, they already have a four-point cushion inside the qualification places and a game in hand.

A win over Czech Republic on Friday will seal their path to the finals, and they could guarantee top spot too if they do the double and beat Bulgaria next week – or Kosovo fail to take maximum points at home to Montenegro.

The second spot is much more up for grabs. Czech Republic are currently second but could be leapfrogged by Kosovo if they fail to beat England on October 11. Montenegro and Bulgaria, both winless with two points each, will need something approaching a miracle to finish inside the top two

Charlie Nicholas’ prediction: “These are the top two from Group A and it is a game Czech Republic will have to chase. Harry Kane is out of form with Tottenham’s struggles, while the inclusion of Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham at Chelsea bolsters the squad. Gareth Southgate may not start them and it could be a more experienced side with Raheem Sterling, Kane and Jadon Sancho up front. There will be a slight edge to it, but England’s centre-backs could be where the issue lies. What will the pairing be? John Stones is injured and Harry Maguire isn’t in the best form, so this may be a worry.”

CHARLIE PREDICTS: 1-1 (7/1 with Sky Bet)

1:45

Sky’s Kaveh Solhekol has more on Gareth Southgate briefing his England players on what to do if they experience racist abuse during their upcoming European Qualifiers against Czech Republic and Bulgaria

Sky’s Kaveh Solhekol has more on Gareth Southgate briefing his England players on what to do if they experience racist abuse during their upcoming European Qualifiers against Czech Republic and Bulgaria

Watch England highlights for free on Sky Sports

Watch highlights of all of England’s eight European Qualifiers for free with Sky Sports – including Czech Republic vs England on Friday night.

The best bits from each game will be available on skysports.com, the Sky Sports app and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel from 15 minutes after full-time – and you won’t need a Sky Sports subscription to tune in.

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