Keira Walsh has said England want to “put things right” against the Netherlands on Friday night, after a 3-2 defeat against Belgium in their previous Nations League match dented their hopes of Olympic qualification for Team GB.
England v Netherlands: Women’s Nations League – live
Tonight marks Lauren Hemp’s 50th cap for England, with the goalkeeper, Mary Earps, captaining a side packed with major tournament winners. Plenty of familiar names in the Dutch squad, with Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema beginning the evening on the bench and the former Gunner, Danielle van de Donk, starting in midfield.
England: Earps (capt.), Bronze, Charles, Walsh, Greenwood, Carter, Kelly, Stanway, Kirby, James, Hemp. Substitutes: Morgan, Hampton, Toone, Wubben-Moy, Zelem, Mead, Clinton, Daly, Le Tissier, Keating, Turner, Russo.
Netherlands: Van Domselaar, Dijkstra, Roord, Beerensteyn, Spitse (capt.), Van de Donk, Martens, Groenen, Pelova, Janssen, Brugts. Substitutes: Lorsheyd, Weimar, Casparij, Damaris, Van Dongen, Jansen, Kaptein, Leuchter, Miedema, Van de Sanden, Snoeijs, Wilms.
Your #Lionesses for Friday night football! 🪩 pic.twitter.com/weSpzStbut
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) December 1, 2023
England may be European champions and World Cup runners-up but there remain no guarantees in international sport. If Sarina Wiegman’s team do not defeat the Netherlands at Wembley this evening, they will wave goodbye to a crack at next year’s Paris Olympics.
The Lionesses are obliged to beat the Dutch, and then Scotland away on Tuesday, to stand a chance of topping League A Group 1 and qualifying for the semi-finals. As a squad, they have become well accustomed to winning, but previous defeats against the Netherlands in September and then against Belgium in October leave them third in the group and firmly on the back foot.
The next few hours will be a test of their collective mettle. Team news and more coming right up.
Kick-off: 7.45pm