Five goalscorers to back in Euro 2024 qualifying: Star names set to shine

Tom Hill
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Harry Kane will be eyeing a 54th international goal for England against Italy
Harry Kane will be eyeing a 54th international goal for England against Italy

The first international break since the 2022 World Cup is now upon us and attention has already turned to qualifying for Euro 2024.

Teams will play two games this month to start their qualifying campaigns and we have picked out some players who look like they can shine in front of goal.

England and Italy will start their qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 in Naples, with the two sides set to meet at the iconic Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Italy famously defeated England to win the Euro 2020 final, but they have struggled for consistency since under Roberto Mancini, who is desperately trying to rediscover his team's sparkle.

With the Azzurri still searching for their best form, we expect England captain Kane to find the back of the net.

Kane has scored three goals in his last two appearances for Tottenham, while he has also netted in his previous two games for England.

Denmark will look to lay down a marker when they face Finland on home soil on Thursday.

The Scandinavian pair are the two highest-ranked teams in their group where they will also have to face Slovenia, Kazakhstan, Northern Ireland and San Marino.

The Danes are well fancied to top the group under Kasper Hjulmand and we should see the emergence of some of Denmark's best youngsters, including Hojlund. The Atalanta ace has only made two appearances for his country, but he has what it takes to shine on the big stage.

Hojlund has scored three in six for Atalanta in Serie A, so he should be full of confidence come Thursday.

The pressure is on Northern Ireland to put San Marino to the sword in their opening qualifier and, with Michael O'Neill back in the dugout, there's every chance they will.

O'Neill returns for his second spell in charge of Northern Ireland and he is likely to turn to Magennis in the final third.

The Wigan Athletic forward is not known for his prowess in front of goal, but he should prove too much for San Marino's fragile defence.

Josh Magennis could be amongst the goals for Northern Ireland against San Marino
Josh Magennis could be amongst the goals for Northern Ireland against San Marino

Poland are under new management ahead of their Euro 2024 qualifier against the Czech Republic on Friday, with Fernando Santos tasked with turning their fortunes around.

He will have had limited time to work with his players, but Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski will be the one steering the attack.

The former Bayern Munich ace has scored in two of his last three for his country and the Czech Republic will do well to silence him in Prague.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappe is a man in form ahead of these qualifiers and he should be able to continue his fine scoring run against the Netherlands.

Mbappe has netted six in his last six games for PSG and that cannot be ignored.

For Les Bleus, he famously scored three times in his last appearance in the World Cup final, while he grabbed a brace in two further matches at the finals in Qatar.

Tags

European ChampionshipEnglandItalyDenmarkFinlandNorthern IrelandSan MarinoFranceNetherlandsCzech RepublicPoland