England and Wales sit bottom of their respective Nations League groups after the latest round of matches.
Scotland – second in their pool – are the best placed of the home countries, while Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are third in their respective groups.
Here we look at how the recent fixtures played out for each nation.
England
England are winless in Group A3 after their first four matches following Tuesday night’s chastening 4-0 defeat to Hungary at Molineux. The Three Lions lost both matches against Hungary and were held to 1-1 and 0-0 draws, in Germany and against Italy at Molineux, respectively. They face an uphill battle to qualify for the semi-finals.
Wales
Wales have fared even worse, taking only one point from their first four games in Group A4. Rob Page’s side lost their opening game 2-1 in Poland and were beaten by the same score by Holland in Cardiff. Brennan Johnson’s late equaliser in the Welsh capital earned them a 1-1 draw against Belgium before Tuesday night’s 3-2 defeat to the Dutch in Rotterdam.
Scotland
Scotland sit second in Group B1, two points behind leaders Ukraine. Steve Clarke’s side beat Armenia 2-0 at Hampden Park in their opening match and bounced back from Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to the Republic in Dublin by collecting another three points in Tuesday night’s impressive 4-1 triumph in Armenia.
Republic of Ireland
The Republic are one place and two points behind Scotland having played one game more in their pool. Boss Stephen Kenny has come under fire for his side’s performances. They lost both opening games 1-0 – in Armenia and against Ukraine in Dublin – and, after Saturday’s encouraging win over the Scots, drew 1-1 with Ukraine on Tuesday night in Lodz.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland sit third in Group C2, 10 points behind leaders Greece with two matches remaining. A narrow 1-0 defeat to Greece at Windsor Park in their opening game was followed by a goalless draw in Cyprus. Ian Baraclough’s side are winless and secured just their second point thanks to Jonny Evans’ late equaliser in a 2-2 home draw against Cyprus on Sunday.
