"Big one tomorrow" - Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham makes social media post ahead of England's Euro qualifier against Italy
Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham posted a message on social media ahead of England's UEFA Euros 2024 qualifier against Italy on Tuesday (17 October).
The 20-year-old was unsurprisingly named in Gareth Southgate's England squad for October. But he was an unused substitute in his team's 1-0 friendly win against Australia last week.
Bellingham is expected to feature for the Three Lions when they take on I Nerazzurri in an important game at Wembley. Southgate's men are top of Group C with 13 points from five matches, with Italy just three points behind.
Ukraine, meanwhile, have 10 points from six games while North Macedonia have seven points to their name. A win against Italy will secure the Three Lions' qualification and the top spot in the group.
Ahead of the game, Bellingham took to Instagram and shared a post from the England football team's official Instagram account on his story. He captioned the photo, which shows him in training alongside Manchester City duo Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker:
"Big one tomorrow at Wembley [hands raised emoji]"
The post can be seen in a tweet by @JBellinghamZone on X:
After a run of six winless games against Italy, England finally beat them in March this year, securing a 2-1 Euros qualifier win away from home. Italy, however, won the most notable head-to-head encounter in recent history, beating Southgate's side on penalties in the 2020 UEFA Euros final.
England's Jude Bellingham is in blistering form for Real Madrid
Real Madrid paid €103 million to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund in the summer and their investment is already paying dividends.
Bellingham is the club's top goal-scorer this season with 10 strikes and three assists in 10 games across competitions. He has developed a knack for scoring important goals and is a major reason behind Real Madrid's three-point lead in the league table after nine matches.
Bellingham's latest contribution came against Osasuna on 7 October, when he scored two goals in a 4-0 La Liga win. He will hope to continue his excellent form after the international break.
Los Blancos face Sevilla in the league and Braga away in the UEFA Champions League before playing against Barcelona on 28 October in the season's first Clasico.