England made it three wins out of three in Euro 2024 qualifying Group C by beating Malta 4-0 on Friday and they are expected to follow up on Monday against North Macedonia (19:45 KO).
The Three Lions have an outstanding qualifying record under Gareth Southgate and, with several of Manchester City's treble winners available to freshen up the England starting line-up, another comfortable win is on the cards at Old Trafford.
- England to win 4-0
- Phil Foden to be first goalscorer
- Ezgjan Alioski to be shown a card
Southgate's Men To Outclass Opponents
England have conceded only four goals in their last 16 matches in World Cup and European Championship qualifying and they should maintain those excellent defensive standards against North Macedonia on Monday.
The Three Lions breezed into a 3-0 lead inside 31 minutes against Malta before a late penalty from Callum Wilson made it four, and they also beat Italy 2-1 and Ukraine 2-0 in their first two qualifiers in March.
Wales and Senegal were brushed aside 3-0 at last year's World Cup and the 4-0 correct score looks a good bet against North Macedonia, who let slip a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 to Ukraine last week, finishing the game with ten men.
England boss Southgate could strengthen his defence by recalling Kyle Walker and John Stones, fresh from helping Manchester City keep a clean sheet in the Champions League final against Inter Milan, so the visitors may struggle to land a blow at Old Trafford.
Foden Eager To Add To England Tally
As well as Walker and Stones, Manchester City's Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Kalvin Phillips are also pushing for starts on Monday and Foden is worth backing to open the scoring.
He finished the season with 11 goals from just 22 Premier League starts for the champions and could line up on the right-hand side of England's front three after Bukayo Saka came off injured in Malta.
Foden is not shy when it comes to having a pop at goal. He had six shots in 75 minutes against Manchester United last October, when he scored a hat-trick, seven against Brentford in November, and four in the May win over Chelsea after City had clinched the title.
He scored England's second goal in the 3-0 World Cup win against Wales and could be fresher than several of his international teammates as he has often been used as a substitute by club manager Pep Guardiola.
Alioski May Find Himself In Trouble
North Macedonia's Visar Musliu was sent off for two bookable offences against Ukraine on Friday and his fellow defenders may struggle to stay out of trouble at Old Trafford.
Former Leeds man Ezgjan Alioski is likely to start at left-back, up against either the tricky Saka or Foden, so he is an obvious candidate to be shown a card.
Alioski was booked 15 times in his last 50 starts for Leeds in the Championship and the Premier League and, with England expected to dominate possession, it would be no surprise to see him make a rash challenge and end up in the referee's notebook.
