UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying: What to look out for on Saturday

The penultimate round of European Qualifiers for UEFA EURO 2024 concludes on Saturday 18 November; check out the key storylines as the final tables start to take shape.

Matchday 9 fixtures

Thursday 16 November 2023

Group A: Georgia 2-2 Scotland, Cyprus 1-3 Spain
Group F: Azerbaijan 3-0 Sweden, Estonia 0-2 Austria
Group G: Bulgaria 2-2 Hungary, Montenegro 2-0 Lithuania
Group J: Liechtenstein 0-2 Portugal, Luxembourg 4-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia 4-2 Iceland

Friday 17 November 2023

Group C: England 2-0 Malta, Italy 5-2 North Macedonia
Group E: Moldova 1-1 Albania, Poland 1-1 Czechia
Group H: Kazakhstan 3-1 San Marino, Finland 4-0 Northern Ireland, Denmark 2-1 Slovenia

Saturday 18 November 2023

Group B: France vs Gibraltar, Netherlands vs Republic of Ireland
Group D: Armenia vs Wales (15:00), Latvia vs Croatia (18:00)
Group I: Belarus vs Andorra (18:00), Israel vs Romania, Switzerland vs Kosovo

All kick-off times 20:45 CET unless noted

Wales hopes, Croatia fears

"We are two wins away from qualifying for a fourth major tournament [in five]," said Wales manager Robert Page after his side's 2-1 win against Croatia on Matchday 8. His side have proved they can compete even without the talismanic Gareth Bale, and they could even confirm their finals place with a win in Armenia on Saturday, though that would require Croatia to have another disappointing night, and lose against Latvia.

World Cup finalists in 2018 and third-placed in Qatar last year, Croatia are in danger of missing out on their first EURO since 2000 after two defeats in October. Level on points with Wales but with an inferior head-to-head record, they need their rivals to slip up if they are to make it to Germany by the direct route, though they could still qualify via the play-offs. "We have to believe that we are going to be able to turn this around and be better than we were in [those] two games," coach Zlatko Dalić said.

Did you know?
Having never qualified for a EURO before 2016, Wales are aiming to make their third finals in a row.

What else to look out for

• The Netherlands will make it to the finals on Saturday if they win at home against the Republic of Ireland. If they slip up, Greece could theoretically steal their place on Matchday 10, though they would have to beat France, and the Dutch would have to lose to Gibraltar.