Match Day Thread Kosovo v England

Euro 2020 qualifier: Kosovo v England
Venue: Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina Date: Sunday, 17 November Kick-off:17:00 GMT
Coverage: Listen live on BBC Radio 5 Live, plus live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. Click here for Live Guide.
England boss Gareth Southgate says the injury to Joe Gomez gives him a chance to "clear his head" after the recent confrontation with Raheem Sterling.

Gomez injured his knee in training and pulled out of the squad for Sunday's final Euro 2020 qualifier in Kosovo.

The defender has been under scrutiny following a clash with Sterling at England's training camp on Monday.

"I think now is a good moment for him just to go home for a couple of days, clear his head," Southgate said.

Gomez, 22, was booed as he came on as a substitute in the 7-0 win over Montenegro at Wembley on Thursday.

Sterling, who was left out of that match because of his altercation with Gomez, said it was wrong for fans to have booed the Liverpool defender.

Former Liverpool forward Sterling is expected to return to the England team in Kosovo.

"I think the fact that Raheem put out the tweet was real closure on that whole incident," Southgate said.

"We get Raheem back on the pitch tomorrow. We won the match on Thursday and we can now just look forwards."

Asked about Gomez's recent experiences, he said: "You couldn't make it up, really, if you tried, but he's absolutely fine. He took a clash of knees yesterday. We scanned it just to be certain and I think he'll be fine in a couple of days."

Liverpool's Jordan Henderson also withdrew from Sunday's match because of a viral infection, while Leicester midfielder James Maddison is a doubt because of a calf problem.

The Three Lions have already qualified as group winners for next summer's tournament.

Southgate's free-scoring England - the stats

• This will be just the second-ever meeting between England and Kosovo, with the only previous match coming earlier in this Euro 2020 qualifying campaign (a 5-3 win for England in September).
• England have only lost one of their last 24 competitive away games (W16 D7) - a 2-1 defeat against the Czech Republic last month. The Three Lions have conceded in just nine games in this run, keeping a clean sheet on 15 occasions.
• England have netted 13 goals since last conceding one themselves, courtesy of their 6-0 and 7-0 wins against Bulgaria and Montenegro.
• Gareth Southgate's side have scored 34 goals in just nine games in 2019 - only in 1908 (39) and 1966 (38) have they scored more in a calendar year.
• Harry Kane's hat-trick against Montenegro last time out moved him onto 31 goals for England, making him one of only six players to have netted more than 30 goals for the Three Lions (after Wayne Rooney, Bobby Charlton, Gary Lineker, Jimmy Greaves and Michael Owen).
• Raheem Sterling and Kane have combined for six England goals during this Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, with both players providing three assists for each other. They have averaged a goal combination once every 80 minutes played.

Looks like we'll get their vote in Eurovision anyway

 

6-1 win in this one I think.

 

England to win both teams to score. Nailed on

 

This. England have looked very good though. Been a long time since I’ve seen them casually knock seven past opponents without breaking a sweat.

Also, is this the last international break for a while? Getting ****ing sick of them.

 

The name Kosovo is derived from a Serbian place-name meaning ‘field of blackbirds’. Albanians also refer to the country as Dardania, the name of a Roman province formed in 284 AD which covered the territory of modern Kosovo. The name is derived from the Albanian word dardha/dardā which means pear, for the country meaning ‘the land of pears’.

It is simultaneously a Country, and not a Country.

Together with the Republic of Cyprus, Kosovo is one of only two countries whose flag doubles up as a geographic representation.

The people of Kosovo are the second poorest in Europe.

More than 40 percent of the population is under 25.

It is home to Europe's only example of a "bifurcated" river.

A number of children are given the names Toni, Bler or Tonibler, but I can't explain why on here.

The national anthem has no lyrics as they couldn't agree which language to use.

 

4-0 England of course.

Though I really like Kosovo. Hope they continue to improve and qualify for a tournament soon.

 

I'd be inclined to leave Stirling out again for being twattish. Rashford had a really good game the other night on the left, so would stick with him, Kane and Sancho.

3-1 England.

 

Rita Ora and Dua Lipa are both Kosovan.

 

It's worth Googling 'Tonibler', folks. Hilarious

 

It's a **** hole.

 

I still don’t know if it’s true??

 

In what way? I’m interested .

 

Sloppy start again.


It's like all our players are called Joe or Giuseppe or, umm, Seconds or summut.

 

It must true, it's on Wiki

 

To me Kosovo are the better side so far.

 

Good goal for Winks though.

 

OK so my judgement is based on being there, but it was some time ago. Roads like dirt tracks often knee deep in mud, electricity coming and going, more often than not gone. Loads of car washes for some reason and all the water run off just collecting in puddles. Bit like the wild west. It may have improved over the year's but there was little or no industry, agriculture or business. No one knew where the money was coming from other than aid, plenty of suspicions though.

 

Please don't base your opinion on actually having been to a country, that not how the majority on here base theirs

 

Were the people friendly?
Was you working there?

 

Like everywhere in the world some are nice some are ****s
Sort of.