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Josh Magennis is determined to keep proving his worth to Northern Ireland for as long as possible. When manager Michael O’Neill said after last month’s defeat to Kazakhstan he needed to evaluate some of the older players in his squad and whether they could still deliver for the team, the 33-year-old Magennis recognised he was among those under the spotlight. But a player who has 73 caps for Northern Ireland, having made his debut against Turkey in May 2010, still savours every opportunity to represent his country. “It’s up to me to stay fit, perform at club level and when I get a chance in matches here or in training show I’m still worth having around,” Magennis told the PA news agency. “I know I’m getting on but to me that’s just an excuse, whether people say it for you or you say it yourself. If you still play with intent, with the sports science that’s available now you can play endlessly. It’s up to you to prove you are worth your place in the squad.” Magennis went as far as telling fans at a meet-and-greet event in Belfast this week that he would fancy playing at Euro 2028 when it is hosted by the UK and Ireland in four and a half years’ time, when he would be just shy of 37. “Playing for your country is the biggest accolade you’ve ever had,” Magennis said. “I’m never going to retire and nor will I ever say I’ve retired. “If Michael decides, or anyone else decides, they don’t want me to come any more that’s up to them but I can never retire on my country. That’s not how I will be going out.” His love of playing shines through as he discusses his season so far with League One Wigan and “riding the wave” of being back after an injury lay-off. Magennis saw his 2022-23 campaign cut short by a bad knee injury in April, forcing him to miss Northern Ireland’s June fixtures as he went through a lengthy rehabilitation process. Although Magennis got himself back to fitness by August, the early season form of Charlie Wyke, who has scored six in 11 for Wigan, has meant all but two of his 10 club appearances have been from the bench, but one of them saw him score a hat-trick in an EFL Trophy win over Leicester Under-21s. “Charlie has been on fire and I’ve just had to wait for my chance,” Magennis said. “At any level scoring goals is massive. The goals don’t move. I’m just feeling good to be back and ready.” Goals would certainly not go amiss for a Northern Ireland side who have only scored four in their six Euro 2024 qualifiers to date, suffering four 1-0 defeats along the way. Qualification is beyond them but there is a clear opportunity to end a five-game losing streak when San Marino, the only team O’Neill’s side have beaten so far, visit Windsor Park on Saturday. But while they can change the mood with victory, Magennis said the team does not need a reset. “It’s not about trying to change our mentality,” he said. “Michael is working towards something. “I don’t want to say we’re rebuilding but there’s been an influx of new players, a lot of players Michael’s not been around before and a lot of players who are experiencing international football for the first time. “It’s just about trying to keep going, keep grafting and trying to implement what Michael wants us to do. It’s been tough not winning. This is a results-based business and everyone wants to win but there’s a process and Michael has proved this process has worked before. We’ve got to trust in it.” Read More Andy Farrell feels Ireland are becoming better at handling pressure Charlie Savage impresses Rob Page during his Wales debut Harry Maguire supported by ‘role model’ David Beckham after Hampden experience I want to play – Harry Maguire admits lack of matches will become an issue England forward Ollie Watkins: I no longer go shopping due to recognition Conor McGregor closes in on UFC return by re-entering anti-doping test programme

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Scotland will hope to continue their winning run in Euro 2024 qualifying as they travel to take on Spain. Steve Clarke’s side are five from five in their campaign so far, including a famous victory over Spain at Hampden Park in March. The Scots will seal qualification with a victory in Spain, or if Norway fail to beat Cyprus in the other Group A fixture this evening. Luis de la Fuente has since led the hosts to victory in the Nations League, though, and Spain will no doubt fancy a dose of revenge to remain on track in the group. Spain have played one game fewer than Scotland and would move to within three points of the leaders with a win. The top two teams will progress to the Euros and La Roja face a trip to face Norway and Erling Haaland on Sunday. Here’s everything you need to know - and get all the latest football betting sites offers here. When is Spain vs Scotland? Spain vs Scotland is due to kick off at 7.45pm BST on Thursday 12 October at Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville, Spain. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match on ViaPlay Sports 1, with coverage from 7pm BST. All of Scotland’s Euro 2024 qualifiers are being shown on ViaPlay, which requires a ViaPlay Total pass subscription. The match can be accessed by downloading the ViaPlay app or through providers such as Sky, Virgin Media or Prime Video. It can also be streamed directly on the ViaPlay website. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Team news Barcelona starlet Lamine Yamal has pulled out of the Spain squad, while Villarreal’s Yeremy Pino has also withdrawn. That has brought about a first senior call-up for Bryan Zaragoza of Granada, who could make a debut off the bench with Luis de la Fuente likely to stick with a relatively settled starting side. Scotland have also lost a couple of players from their squad: Ryan Jack has remained with Rangers after picking up an injury against Aberdeen recently, and a hamstring issue has ruled Kevin Nisbet out, too. A similar ailment led to Kieran Tierney’s omission from Steve Clarke’s squad, with the Arsenal loannee having missed Real Sociedad’s last two games. Predicted line-ups Spain XI: Simon; Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Balde; Merino, Rodri, Gavi; Torres, Morata, N. Williams. Scotland XI: Gunn; Porteous, Hendry, Cooper; Hickey, Gilmour, McGregor, Robertson; McTominay, McGinn; Adams Odds Spain win 1/4 Draw 5/1 Scotland win 9/1 Prediction Spain secure victory to end Scotland’s unbeaten qualifying run. Spain 3-1 Scotland. Read More Euro 2028 venues: UK and Ireland name 10 stadiums as Anfield and Old Trafford miss out Euro 2028: Will host nations get automatic qualification? Harry Kane: ‘Ronaldo and Messi got better after 30 – my career is only at half-time’ How Scotland became the one team Rodri could not defeat UK and Ireland confirmed as joint hosts of Euro 2028 Uefa announce UK and Ireland as Euro 2028 hosts while Old Trafford snubbed

There was the Champions League in Istanbul. The FA Cup at Wembley. A third Premier League title in a row in Manchester. The treble was followed by the Nations League in the Netherlands and the Super Cup in Greece. Yet if the list of trophies won by Rodri with club and country in 2023 can only be matched by Aymeric Laporte, the Spaniard’s compatriot and former Manchester City teammate can hardly rival his influence: it was Rodri who scored the winning goal against Inter Milan in June’s Champions League final, Rodri who was named player of the finals as Spain defeated Croatia to win the Nations League. It is tempting to brand 2023 as the year of Rodri; individual awards do not tend to favour defensive midfielders, but he may have a case for winning the Ballon d’Or. Yet an outstanding campaign has featured just the one dark night: at Hampden in March, Rodri and Spain were humbled by Scotland, beaten 2-0 in the swirling rain. The 27-year-old wore the armband but bore no responsibility, nor did he recognise what was Scotland’s greatest result in a generation. “You have to respect it but for me, it’s a bit rubbish,” he said of Scotland’s performance. His complaints of time-wasting, diving and gamesmanship were almost laughed out of the room, but Rodri was insistent: “For me, this is not football,” he said. In many ways, Rodri’s extraordinary outburst was Scotland’s second victory of the evening. Steve Clarke’s side had not just beaten Spain, but they had gotten under their skin as well, and the sight of the former world champions sucking on sour grapes rather added to the shock result Scotland had managed to pull off. It also adds a certain edge to their return meeting, in Seville tonight, as Scotland look to become the first nation to join hosts Germany and qualify for Euro 2024. Scotland assistant coach John Carver has already admitted that another victory over Spain would be all the sweeter after Rodri’s “disrespectful” comments. Yet Scotland would be wise to look ahead to their trip to La Cartuja with a certain amount of trepidation, too: Spain are seeking revenge and, in Rodri, Scotland have managed to make a nemesis out of a player whose powers have never felt greater. His grave error of judgement in grabbing Morgan Gibbs-White by the throat last month has sparked a title race; Manchester City lost all three games while he was suspended, to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup, and then Wolves and Arsenal in the Premier League. Indeed, the last time Rodri lost a match when on the pitch was at Hampden six months ago – defeat to Arsenal on penalties in the Community Shield final, after a 1-1 draw, notwithstanding. It is also unlikely that Spain will make the same mistakes as last time. A rare defeat for Rodri came in an experimental Spain side, in what was manager Luis de la Fuente’s second match in charge. Rodri was one of only two players in the side with more than 20 international appearances; De la Fuente had made eight changes from the team that beat Norway just days before, resting the Barcelona star Gavi and keeping the squad’s top scorer Alvaro Morata on the bench. Scotland ganged up on Spain and exposed them for what they were: inexperienced and underprepared. There is little chance De la Fuente underestimates Scotland for a second time, not when Clarke’s team sits top of Group A with five wins from five (only France and Portugal can also boast 100 per cent records in Euro 2024 qualifying). Even a draw at La Cartuja would potentially leave Spain in a vulnerable position ahead of Sunday’s trip to face Norway and Erling Haaland in Oslo. Scotland, meanwhile, know qualification for Germany could be secured by the end of the week: a win would do it tonight, any other result would be fine too, unless Norway win both games this week against Cyprus and Spain. Scotland, though, must focus on themselves. Clarke’s side were brought back down to earth by England at Hampden last month, outclassed by Jude Bellingham in the 150th anniversary match. Bellingham was exceptional but Scotland were also second-best in every department. Once again, the lack of a leading forward is a huge issue: while Lyndon Dykes and Che Adams have both made important contributions throughout Clarke’s spell, the reality is Scotland’s two main strikers are playing for clubs stuck 10th and 22nd in the Championship. Thankfully for Clarke, in Scott McTominay, Scotland have a force who has scored more than Haaland, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe in Euro 2024 qualifiers – only Romelu Lukaku has managed more than his six goals so far. It shows how, under Clarke, Scotland have often been able to rise as a collective. Rodri’s comments back in March crucially missed that Scotland’s victory came through cohesion and playing as a team while making Spain look like individuals. This international window is another pivotal test: after Seville, Scotland will travel to Paris to face France. The Tartan Army have not enjoyed a double-header of such calibre in some time. That is assuming Spain look a bit more like Spain. Since Hampden, a result that put De la Fuente under some early pressure, La Roja have clicked by scoring 16 goals in their subsequent three qualifiers, as well as lifting the Nations League title with victories over Italy and Croatia. Yet a young squad full of bright things is held together by Rodri, undisputedly now the best in the world in his position, the driving force in midfield who will look to lead the Spanish retribution. By his own admission, failure to do so would be another rare mark on the year of Rodri: Scotland, after all, are a “bit rubbish”. Spain vs Scotland kicks off on Thursday 12 October at 7.45pm, on Viaplay Sports 1 Read More Harry Kane: ‘Ronaldo and Messi got better after 30 – my career is only at half-time’ Scotland’s John McGinn responds to Rodri comments: ‘Wasting time? Absolutely’ Is Spain v Scotland on TV? Channel, start time and how to watch Euro 2024 qualifier UK and Ireland confirmed as joint hosts of Euro 2028 Uefa announce UK and Ireland as Euro 2028 hosts while Old Trafford snubbed

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