Southgate relishing tussle with 'revitalised' Italians

Gareth Southgate says facing "revitalised" Italy will be a great test of where England are at as they attempt to seal European Championship qualification with two matches to spare.

The Euro 2020 runners-up can wrap up their place at next summer's finals in Germany in Tuesday evening's mouthwatering Group C clash against the Azzurri at a sold-out Wembley.

It will be the nations' fourth meeting since Italy beat England on spot-kicks in the Euros final just over two years ago but their first reunion under the arch, with their previous meetings coming in Wolverhampton, Milan and Naples.

The Azzurri return to Wembley a far different side from when they became continental champions there, with Luciano Spalletti in charge of a new-look team that host Malta on Saturday evening before heading to London.

"Italy look revitalised under Spalletti," Southgate said. "They were excellent against Ukraine last month. They're a top-10 nation.

"We've talked about these top-10 games and the importance of them, the challenge of them. We have the chance to qualify for the European Championships with two games to spare.

"But also it's a great test of where we are as a team and, yeah, it's a challenge we're really looking forward to."

The Euro 2024 qualifier completes England's October doubleheader at Wembley after securing an unconvincing 1-0 friendly win against unfancied Australia on Friday.

Returning Ollie Watkins secured Southgate's much-changed side victory against the surprisingly dangerous Socceroos on a night when stand-in skipper Jordan Henderson was booed off the field.

The England boss defended the Al-Ettifaq midfielder and felt his experience was key having taken a risk by making 10 alterations in an experimental line-up against the Aussies.