England 'plan Brazil, Germany friendlies'

The FA is reportedly attempting to line up friendly matches with Brazil and Germany ahead of England's World Cup campaign next summer.

The Three Lions will be on the cusp of confirming their place at the tournament in Russia if they defeat Slovakia at Wembley tonight, and the FA are already working on arranging games against strong opposition as part of their preparations.

According to The Guardian, the proposed games against Brazil and Germany will be complemented by a friendly against Italy, meaning that Gareth Southgate's side would face the three most successful sides in World Cup history in the run-up to the tournament.

The newspaper claims that Wembley will play host to the games with Brazil and Germany this November, with a game against Italy and one against the Netherlands following next March.

Southgate's charges defeated Malta 4-0 on Friday night but were held for 53 minutes by the minnows, with their final three goals all coming in the last eight minutes of the contest.