England

England manager Gareth Southgate speaking to Channel 4: "There has been a lot of talk about his [Jack Grealish] role with us. He has been available for 11 games and he has played in all of them. We know his value when he starts and he makes an impact when he comes on."

On defender Fikayo Tomori: "Fitness wise he has come through the training okay. Fikayo is a player we want to look at anyway. Knowing the opposition is probably a comfort for him coming into his first start."

On Tammy Abraham and hopes for the Nations League: "There are a few players in the team with a position at stake. Tammy's goalscoring record is the best in the whole squad playing in a different league but where it is still tough to score.

"We know that if we get the ball into him in the right areas he will finish. It will be interesting to see the rest of his game.

"There is a still an opportunity to do very well if we win tonight and I have to balance that with some World Cup preparation."

Image source, Getty Images

Now then Germany boss Hansi Flick says that June's batch of Nations League matches is simply too much in a World Cup year with getting little rest before the tournament starts in November in Qatar.

The Germans, have drawn their opening two matches against Italy and England and when Flick was asked if they were a strain on his players he said: "I agree with that. Four matches are too many after such a season. You have to take the two years into account.

"We had a pandemic and a lot of matches piled up. We will be having 'English weeks' (two-match weeks in the build-up to the World Cup). There will be almost no pre-season preparation then it's Bundesliga and Champions League matches every three, four days until the World Cup."

The Bundesliga resumes on 5 August, while the Champions League group stage gets under way on 6/7 September.

Germany are then scheduled to face Hungary on 23 September and England three days later.

"This should be looked at and we need to ask ourselves how we can offer players a break because that is important," Flick added.

"Uefa or (world soccer governing body) Fifa should look into these things and take some measures.

"We have these four games. We accept them. It is tough for the players after a long season. But we accept it because all teams have the same starting points. What we are focusing on is to play a good World Cup in November."

England have won just one of their last five games in the Nations League (D1 L3), failing to score on three occasions.

Meanwhile, Italy have lost just one of their 12 games in the Nations League group stage (W5 D6).

Italy

Italy legend Alessandro Del Piero talking to Channel 4: "We are at the bottom of our history, missing two world cups in a row and the two before went out in the group stage.

"There has been a change in generations and then obviously there was a Euro win. A unique situation, very unpredictable, but we have hope. But the results are really, really bad.

"This Nations League is supposed to be the first step of a new chapter and we hope it is.

"We have made a great start, it is a team with personality. There is new fresh energy."

Has Roberto Mancini ran out of real players to select?

Gatti, Frattesi, Pessina, Gnonto, Scalvini, Esposito sounds like a squad of regens on Football Manager.

Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport at Molineux

These kids will have burned themselves out by kick-off - there's more shrieking and hollering than at my toddler's diddkicks session this morning. Each Italian name read out over the tannoy was greeted with a "who are ya?" - the classics never die - and now each shot or pass in the warm-up is met with huge cheers. Chris Powell is now toying with them, pretending to kick a football into the crowd.

Someone needs to bottle that enthsuiasm and sell it...

England

England midfielder Jack Grealish speaking to Channel 4: "He [Gareth Southgate] hasn't said anything to me personally. We've had a few team meetings, I know what I have to do tonight. I will try and play like I did in the last game. I will enjoy it. It is nice to be playing.

"He [Southgate] is the England manager and I have to listen to him. There is certain stuff I have to improve. He is the manager and that is who I have to try and impress."

On Harry Kane's absence from the starting XI: "We have Tammy Abraham coming off the back of a brilliant season in Italy. Harry will be a miss like he would be for any team in the world but you have to remember we have a world-class number nine in Tammy."

Matt Upson
Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

The development of the relationship between Gareth Southgate and Jack Grealish from years ago when he wasn't picking him is that now it feels like he is picking him because he trusts him. Southgate has waited and waited and that is a big thing for him as a manager. Grealish has stepped up to that and maybe that has been a motivator for his form but he has really had to work hard to get Southgate to pick him.

He's not quite at that point yet where he's being picked every game but Grealish has got to apply himself when he does start, we see the best of him when he's doing something slightly unusual and he has to be given the freedom to do that.

There is more to come from him - but we will only know that when we see him more consistently.

Image source, Getty Images

Jack Grealish says he would like to transfer the freedom he feels while playing for England to his club form with Manchester City.

Grealish, 26, admits he "played it a bit safe" despite winning the Premier League title after his £100m British record move from Aston Villa in August.

However, the forward impressed off the bench for England in their Nations League draw with Germany on Tuesday.

"I do feel like I play with a lot more freedom here [with England]," he said.

"That's what the manager [Gareth Southgate] asked me to do - go on and be myself and try to create and that's what I did."

Read the full piece

Italy

Image source, Getty

Italy boss Roberto Mancini speaking to Channel 4: "We have good memory about Euro 2020 because we played fantastic football and played the final at Wembley against England, this will be in our head and mind.

"We did not deserve to not be in Qatar, we dominated our group but some bad situations changed our fate. I hope it will be a new era [of players] until the World Cup in 2026 and I hope we can win this World Cup."

Having defeated England last weekend Hungary will be looking to claim another memorable victory when they take on Germany in their Uefa Nations League Group A3 game in Budapest.

Marco Rossi's side fell to a 2-1 defeat in Italy on Tuesday and will be facing a German side yet to lose 11 matches into Hansi Flick's reign as boss.

Image source, .

Matt Upson
Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

It's hard to draw comparisons with the Euros final - the changes in the Italian squad and team are significant. One thing I think about when I think of Italy as a team is that it's a much younger squad for them. Normally they have some really wily players especially at centre-back - that streetwise ability to shut teams out. To steal one goal and then be totally impenetrable - that is the Italian way of playing.

It will be interesting to see how this team play.

A slightly different crowd in at Molineux this evening.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

England's latest World Cup auditions may be taking place behind closed doors when they face Italy at Molineux tonight but the stage is huge for every member of Gareth Southgate's squad with eyes on Qatar in November.

The gallery will number just 3,000 spectators, mainly schoolchildren, as part of the punishment imposed on the Football Association for crowd trouble at the Euro 2020 final against Italy at Wembley last July.

And while the atmosphere in Wolverhampton will be surreal, the wider significance of this Nations League game will not be lost on Southgate or any of his squad.

Read the full piece

Leroy Rosenior has said that he agrees with Gareth Southgate about the "layer of complexity that's always been there" when deciding who to select for penalty shoot-outs for the England national team.

Former England youth international Rosenior said that it was good that the England manager had highlighted the issue because "black players deal with things that white people don't".

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Racism reared its ugly head after England's defeat in the final last summer.

England manager Gareth Southgate has described choosing black players to take penalties as "another layer of difficulty" in a shootout.

Southgate's concerns follow the torrent of racist abuse received by Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka when they missed penalties during Euro 2020.

He also praised Saka as "massively courageous" for stepping up to do it after facing that abuse.

Last year, 11 people were arrested for comments directed at England players online.

Read the full piece

Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport at Molineux

There was a smattering of fans hanging around outside Molineux when the England coach arrived earlier - a few with Italian flags, too - and now some of those young supporters are also making lots of noise as the England goalkeepers come out to warm up. Jordan Pickford is knocking the ball about with Aaron Ramsdale on the slick turf.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Stick the wireless on, you can listen to build-up followed by full commentary of the match.

Former England international Matthew Upson is alongside commentator Ian Dennis.

Tune in.

England will host Italy behind closed doors on Saturday as punishment for unrest at Wembley Stadium during last summer's Euro 2020 final.

England manager Gareth Southgate called the ban an "embarrassment for England as a country".

The match at Wolves' Molinuex Stadium at 19:45 BST comes exactly 11 months after England lost to Saturday's opponents in the showpiece final.

The Football Association was also fined 100,000 euros (£84,560).

European football's governing body Uefa imposed the sanctions last October, which included a two-game stadium ban, but the second game was suspended for two years.

The ban is the first time the FA has received a punishment that has resulted in England having to play a home match behind closed doors.

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