Callum Dent 
England and Italy meet in a crucial Euro 2024 qualifier at Wembley on Tuesday night. In what is a repeat of the last European Championship final at the same venue, the Three Lions are three points ahead of the Azzurri at the top of Group C.
Arsenal will be looking to end a poor record at Goodison Park when they take on struggling Everton. The Gunners have not won on their last five visits, losing four, and saw their Premier League title hopes suffer a huge blow last season when a 1-0 defeat in Sean Dyche’s first game as Toffees boss triggered a three-match winless streak.
Manchester United continue their Premier League top-four quest against Everton on Saturday. The Red Devils moved into a strong position with the midweek victory over Brentford, extending their unbeaten home record to 24 matches in all competitions, and take on an Everton side who have not won on their travels in 12 attempts.
Southampton’s task of staying in the Premier League will not get any easier when they host Manchester City on Saturday. Saints are rooted to the bottom of the table after a four-match winless run, while City are hot on the heels of leaders Arsenal following four consecutive wins.
Tottenham fans will sense they are at the start of a crucial spell in their campaign as they prepare to welcome West Ham. Spurs go into the derby, the first of two in as many weeks with Chelsea up next, looking to avoid a third straight loss for the first time this season.
It will be back to business for most of Tottenham’s World Cup players when they take on Brentford on Boxing Day. Harry Kane will look to move on from England’s World Cup heartbreak after missing a penalty in the last-eight defeat by France.
Two teams desperate for a win for Christmas meet at Goodison Park when Everton host Wolves. The Toffees are hovering just above the relegation zone after just three wins this season but that is one more than their opponents who are rooted to the foot of the table.
Crystal Palace and Fulham will both be looking to bounce back from defeats when they finally resume their campaign. Palace suffered a dismal loss at Nottingham Forest while Fulham were beaten 2-1 by Manchester United deep into added time.
United return to action following the World Cup break with a League Cup tie against Championship outfit Burnley and it could be a tricky one for Erik ten Hag’s men. Not many managers at the top end of the pyramid go full pelt when it comes to team selection in this competition.
Argentina versus Saudi Arabia looks like the biggest mismatch among the early games at the 2022 World Cup. La Albiceleste are big favourites to top Group C, which also features Mexico and Poland, and can lay down a marker for a run deep into the tournament.
France begin the defence of their World Cup crown against Australia, bidding to become only the third nation to retain the trophy. Didier Deschamps remains at the helm after leading Les Bleus to glory in Russia and they are third favourites to taste glory again in Qatar.
Erik ten Hag will be looking for a riposte from Manchester United when they face Aston Villa again in the EFL Cup on Thursday. New Villa boss Unai Emery started his spell in charge with a rousing 3-1 home victory over United in the Premier League on Sunday.
Tottenham know a point against Marseille will see them qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League. Harry Kane thought he had fired Spurs into the knockout stage in their last outing against Sporting Lisbon, but his last-gasp goal to make it 2-1 was ruled out by VAR.
Rangers need a point in their final Champions League group game against Ajax to avoid a piece of unwanted history. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side have lost all five matches with a goal difference of -18, putting them in danger of posting the worst ever group-stage record.