It’s the European champions vs the world champions as England meet the USA at Wembley this Friday.
The Lionesses will return to the iconic stadium for the first time since their historic Euro 2022 triumph against Germany, in what promises to be a blockbuster friendly.
Sarina Wiegman is undefeated as England manager since taking over last year, but this will no doubt be her toughest test to date, with the USA on a 21-match unbeaten streak of their own.
The two sides last faced each other during the SheBelieves Cup in 2020, where the USA ran out comfortable 2-0 winners.
“The challenge of facing the world champions is one we look forward to and it is another tough fixture to measure our progress as we look to continue to make the next step forward,” said Wiegman.
“We are so excited to be able to go back to Wembley after our incredible experience in July.
She added: “It will be a special evening and a great celebration for our fans, but we also know it will be a challenging game against very strong opposition.”
The Lionesses will take on Vlatko Andonovski’s side at Wembley.
This will be the first time England have played at the stadium since the Euro 2022 final and the first women’s international friendly to be played there since the Lionesses lost 2-1 to Germany in 2019.
The match will take place on Friday, October 7th.
Kick-off will be at 20:00, UK time, and 15:00 EST.
The match is free to watch for UK viewers and will be broadcast live on ITV.
You can also stream the game on the ITV Hub.
Coverage of the match gets underway at 19:30.
Tickets for the match sold out less than 24 hours after going on general sale.
At one stage, the ticketing website even crashed amid the huge demand to see the Lionesses in action.
A crowd of 87,192 watched England beat Germany in July and we could be set to see that record smashed.
While both sides have been in exceptional form, England’s home advantage may count in their favour.
However, the US have a great record against the Lionesses and are unbeaten in their last four matches against them, dating back to 2017.
Listen to GiveMeSport Women’s Twitter Space preview of England vs USA:
? Who will start up front for England?
?? Is Alex Morgan a big loss for the US?
? Which team is favourite to win?We discussed all this and more in our latest Twitter Space ⬇️
https://t.co/ofzsI7ybdZ— GiveMeSportW (@GiveMeSportW) October 5, 2022
? Who will start up front for England?
?? Is Alex Morgan a big loss for the US?
? Which team is favourite to win?
We discussed all this and more in our latest Twitter Space ⬇️
https://t.co/ofzsI7ybdZ
Andonovski has named a 24-player training camp roster for the USA’s matches against England and Spain.
Ballon d’Or nominee Alex Morgan, who left England rattled at the 2019 World Cup with her tea-sipping celebration, will not play due to a knee injury, but Megan Rapinoe is in the squad.
Former Manchester City star Rose Lavelle is also included, as is rising star Trinity Rodman.
Meanwhile, Lauren James could be in line for her first England start, after impressing for Chelsea this season.
Manchester City loanee Jess Park, who has been a standout performer for Everton this campaign, may also make her debut.
England will be without Alessia Russo and Leah Williamson, however, who have both withdrawn from the squad with injury. Rachel Daly could be Wiegman’s starting striker after impressing as an attacker for Aston Villa.
Arsenal defender Lotte Wubben-Moy has been called into the squad as Williamson’s replacement.
Senior writer for GiveMeSport Women. You’ll find me covering almost every sport. Declan Rice enthusiast. Campaigning for Ben Stokes to be knighted for that knock at Headingly.
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