England take on China – Women's Friendly Match
Preamble
Greetings and welcome to the exhibition fixture between the English side and the Chinese squad at Wembley Stadium. This promises to be an exciting contest with the current Euro titleholders taking on the holders of the Asian Cup title.
The iconic Wembley is fully booked for the match, which will see Fran Kirby celebrated pre-match after her retirement from the national team before the Euro tournament this past summer.
The team news will be revealed soon, but there was a last minute squad update for England. On Friday, the goalkeeper Khiara Keating withdrew from the squad with a small issue, and so previous starter Ellie Roebuck has been called up.
With Hannah Hampton injured, it will be interesting to see who the Lionesses' coach Sarina Wiegman selects in goal. That news and all the other updates are coming up before the opening whistle at 5:30 in the evening GMT.
Lineup Announcements
The lineups have been announced. Anna Moorhouse is the starting keeper for England in the non-presence of Hannah Hampton and Khiara Keating.
England: Moorhouse, Bronze, Charles, Walsh, Le Tissier, Morgan, Mead, Stanway, Russo, Toone, Hemp.
Reserves: Hings, Baggaley, Kendall, Wubben-Moy, Beever-Jones, Kelly, Kearns, Park, Blindkilde Brown, Roebuck, Clinton, Denton, Fisk, Godfrey.
Details are being sought for the Chinese lineup now; as soon as I have it, I will share it.
Captaincy Update
Keira Walsh is leading the Lionesses with Leah Williamson still injured. Here’s what she had to say before this match:
Walsh assumes captaincy as England confront new hurdle in meeting of continental winners.
Maunch Appearance
Tonight’s game will be Anna Moorhouse’s debut for England. She belonged to the European Championship squad who triumphed this past summer, but she remained on the bench with Hannah Hampton in the starting goalkeeper role.
Recent Action
The opening match of the final of the Women’s Nations League occurred yesterday; review all of the events:
Women’s Nations League: Cata Coll of Spain thwarts Germany, ensuring final remains undecided.
Live Feed
Real-time coverage from the game will be provided with key events and latest developments as the action unfolds.
