UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying: What to look out for on Matchday 8

October's instalment of the European Qualifiers for UEFA EURO 2024 conclude on Tuesday, with plenty still to play for ahead of next summer's finals.

Here is a look at some of the highlights coming up on the final day of Matchday 8.

Matchday 8 fixtures and results

Sunday 15 October 2023

Group A: Georgia 4-0 Cyprus, Norway 0-1 Spain
Group D: Türkiye 4-0 Latvia, Wales 2-1 Croatia
Group E: Czechia 1-0 Faroe Islands, Poland 1-1 Moldova
Group I*: Switzerland 3-3 Belarus, Romania 4-0 Andorra

*The match between Kosovo and Israel has been postponed.

Monday 16 October 2023

Group B: Gibraltar 0-4 Republic of Ireland, Greece 0-1 Netherlands
Group F: Azerbaijan 0-1 Austria, Belgium a-a Sweden
Group J: Bosnia and Herzegovina 0-5 Portugal, Iceland 4-0 Liechtenstein, Luxembourg 0-1 Slovakia

Belgium vs Sweden was abandoned at half-time due to security reasons.

Tuesday 17 October 2023

Group C: England vs Italy, Malta vs Ukraine
Group G: Lithuania vs Hungary, Serbia vs Montenegro
Group H: Finland vs Kazakhstan (18:00), Northern Ireland vs Slovenia, San Marino vs Denmark

All kick-off times 20:45 CET unless noted

Group C's heavyweight clash

Perhaps the most attractive-looking game of Matchday 8 sees EURO 2020 finalists England and Italy face off at Wembley. The Three Lions got an impressive 2-1 victory in Naples in the reverse fixture on Matchday 1 as they seek to qualify for a ninth EURO finals in the last ten editions of the tournament.

"We are pleased that the mentality of the players has been exceptional and that they are grasping the challenge as we try to get better and better," England coach Gareth Southgate said on the qualification campaign so far. "But we cannot just rest on where we are and we have to keep improving as a team."

Did you know? England's win over Italy in March was their first ever against the Azzurri in UEFA competition. They had previously met five times, with Italy winning four of the encounters and one draw shared between them.

Finland and Kazakhstan's crucial encounter

After both losing their games on Matchday 7, Finland and Kazakhstan will be desperate for a victory that could reignite their hopes of finishing in the top two when they face off in Helsinki. They are currently level on 12 points in Group H, four points behind Slovenia and Denmark, who are still yet to play each other for the second time.

Finland's only previous appearance in the EURO finals was in 2020, when they were knocked out at the group stage, while Kazakhstan have never participated in a major tournament, so qualification would certainly mean the world to both nations.

Did you know? Finland have beaten Kazakhstan in all five of their previous competitive meetings, conceding just one goal in the process.

What else to look out for

• Denmark defender Simon Kjær will break the record for the number of caps won for his country if he faces San Marino. He is currently level with goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel on 129 after reaching the landmark on Matchday 7 against Kazakhstan.