England vs Malta LIVE: Euro 2024 qualifier score and updates as Alexander-Arnold and Henderson start

Ahead of kick off there is moment of applause as the lights are dimmed to reveal the words Sir Bobby in the stands. The 1966 World Cup Winner passed away last month and is shown the appreciation of the watching supporters.

Malta then get the ball rolling and send it over to the right wing where it’s pinged straight out of play.

The England men’s side are playing at Wembley for the last time in this calender year. It’ll be some send off if they manage to win tonight and impress by scoring a few goals.

The game is mainly a confidence builder and to keep England’s winning momentum into the new year and towards the Euros next summer.

The pundits are predicting scores of 4,5 and 6 nil in England’s favour. It could be a big one if the Three Lions are on song. Kick off is up next…

Pre-match thoughts of Gareth Southgate who told Channel 4: “We have to win, we always want to play well. We have 80,000 fans here buying in to what we’re doing.

“I think nights like this are definitely opportunities for people to see what they can do. This is a different test. It poses a difficult tactical issue playing against a low-block. We have players who can unlock the door like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Kane.

“[Alexander-Arnold] loves the role he’s had with Liverpool for a number of years. There are no doubts he can do both. We’ve liked what he’s done in midfield for us. His passing range and vision is exceptional. He has another chance tonight.”

England are paying tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton at Wembley tonight in what is their first match since the 1966 World Cup winner’s death last month.

There will be a crowd mosaic and video celebrating the Manchester United legend’s life, while the players will wear black armbands during the game.

Perhaps the first thing to mention ahead of England’s final home game of the year is the crowd. England have already qualified for Euro 2024 but the visit of Malta is a sell-out at Wembley. There is still the formality of securing top spot in Group C to confirm, and with it an important top seeding at next month’s Euros draw, but by virtue of wrapping up their business early, Gareth Southgate’s side have given themselves a largely meaningless double-header against Malta and North Macedonia to conclude the calendar year.

Or at least, in previous years, it may well have been. The thing is, this England is quite good. They may even be fun, and there was certainly a sense of commanding confidence in the air as Southgate’s side swept Italy aside last month. Much of that came from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, who represent what is so exciting about England at the moment. When was the last time England were so strong in attacking areas? When was the last time those players looked so comfortable replicating their club form within the national team?

England haven’t lost a home game in the month of November since a 0-1 loss to Germany in a friendly back in 2013. They’re unbeaten in each of their last 12 such games and have won each of the last six by an aggregate scoreline of 24-1.

Trent Alexander-Arnold took the pre-match press conference with Gareth Southgate and spoke about how he wants to play a big part at Euro 2024 for England.

The Liverpool right-back is now listed as a midfielder for England and is expected to play in midfield when he takes to the pitch tonight.

“When I’m here, when I’m not here, I’m constantly thinking about trying to get into the team for the summer,” he said.

“Since we spoke in the summer, me and the manager, about a midfield opportunity and to see if we could make it work, there has been a newfound excitement for me.

“It is a huge opportunity and it is one I am grateful to have, but also making sure I take it. It’s still early days, I haven’t had much experience in there so still learning on the job and about picking it up as much as I can when I am in there.

“[Is going to the Euros as a midfielder your target?] Massively so, it is something I think about often, it is something that motivates me.”

England conceded first but came back to win 3-1 against Italy in their last international match. The Three Lions have won six of their nine games under Gareth Southgate when conceding the first goal at Wembley (two draw, one loss).

The Three Lions have posted the highest shot conversion rate in this qualifying campaign (25.3%) netting 19 of their 75 attempts on goal, while only Portugal (32 goals in 8 games) and Switzerland (20 goals in 7 games) have scored more goals than them.

They will be looking to win their opening four home Euro qualifiers for a third consecutive qualifying campaign having also done so for the 2016 and 2020 tournaments.

Malta have never won an away European Championship qualifying match in 59 attempts (with five draws and 54 defeats), losing their last eleven away qualifiers in a row.

They have lost all seven of their qualifiers for Euro 2024 and not since Euro 2000 have they lost 100 per cent of their games in a complete qualifying campaign (World Cup and European Championship combined).

Despite having already secured qualification for Euro 2024 after their win over Italy last month, Gareth Southgate does not want his side to take their feet of the gas and explained how important it is to pick up two victories from their final two qualifiers.

“We need to win games, not only to make sure that we’re one of the top seeds next summer but also with England, you always have to win matches,” said the Three Lions manager.

“The bigger message is around our standards every day on the training pitch. We aim to be a top team, and we have been consistent for a period of time now and that stems from everything you do and the things that nobody else sees.

“You’ve got to have good habits every day and there’s never a day off from that. If you’re a top player, you’ve got to have those standards about you all the time, not just while you’re training but when you’re away from training as well.

“You’ve got to maximise the opportunity that you’ve got because it’s a short career so you’ve got to be a good professional and our senior players in particular set a great example.

“We also have lots of young players who have great habits.”