MX23RW : Wednesday, May 29 08:57:52| >> :120:64567:64567:

Euro 2020: How things stand in race for qualification

England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have been chasing a place in the competition.

The Euro 2020 qualifying campaign is heading towards its conclusion, with places still up for grabs in next summer's tournament.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look how things stand for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

England

Gareth Southgate's side have won all four of their Group A fixtures so far and sit top of the table.

Victory over the Czech Republic and Bulgaria will make sure of a place at Euro 2020, where Wembley will play host to both semi-finals and the final on July 12.

Scotland

Scotland's 4-0 defeat in Russia means their only hope of reaching Euro 2020 is through the play-offs.
Scotland's 4-0 defeat in Russia means their only hope of reaching Euro 2020 is through the play-offs. (Steven Paston/PA)

The 4-0 defeat to Russia means Steve Clarke's men now have no chance of a top-two finish in Group I after losing five out of their seven matches so far.

However, Scotland do have the 'second chance' route via the play-offs, which came from winning their Nations League group.

The qualifying play-offs will take place in March 2020, with four places on offer to join the other 20 countries.

These, though, will be for a team which comes through a two-legged semi-final and final, the seeding for the pairings based on performances from the Nations League.

Wales

After a 1-1 draw in Slovakia, Ryan Giggs' side are fourth in Group E, but only three points off second place – and crucially with a match in hand.

The home game against World Cup finalists Croatia on October 13 will be key, with the final two fixtures away to Azerbaijan and then against Hungary in Cardiff.

Northern Ireland

Manager Michael O'Neill put on a brave face following the 3-1 defeat against Holland in Rotterdam, where Northern Ireland had taken the lead before suffering a late collapse.

Having also lost 2-0 against Germany in Belfast, Northern Ireland are now third in the standings, level on points with the top two but having played a match more.

The Green and White Army are left needing an unlikely maximum haul from games next month at home to the Dutch and away in Frankfurt to get out of Group C.

Republic of Ireland

Mick McCarthy's squad are top of Group D, two points clear of Denmark and unbeaten so far from five matches with three wins.

Victory away to Georgia in Tbilisi on Saturday would further strengthen the Republic's position, with Denmark hosting Switzerland.

The Republic then play in Geneva on October 15 and will host Denmark in their last fixture next month.

However, with both Denmark and Switzerland still to play bottom team Gibraltar – a three-point banker – the qualification shake-up looks set to be a tense finale which could yet come down to head-to-head results.

ID:374699: cacheID:374699:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8299:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Big Harry Maguire in action during the Premier League game between Manchester United and Chelsea on August 11, 2019
Read Next:
News Extra: £80m Maguire "a good deal", Dier admits Spurs "crisis", Zaha 'suing agent'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CManchester CityMan City38287396346291
2Arsenal38285591296289
3Liverpool382410486414582
4Aston Villa382081076611568
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs382061274611366
6Chelsea381891177631463
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle381861485622360
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd38186145758-160
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham381410146074-1452
10Crystal Palace381310155758-149
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton381212145562-748
12Bournemouth38139165467-1348
13Fulham38138175561-647
14Wolverhampton WanderersWolves38137185065-1546
15Everton38139164051-1140
16Brentford38109195665-939
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3899204967-1832
RLuton TownLuton3868245285-3326
RBurnley3859244178-3724
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd38372835104-6916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!