Sports Mole answers whether England are playing today as the Three Lions ramp up their preparations for Euro 2024.
Preparations for Euro 2024 are in full swing for Gareth Southgate‘s England, who are being put through their paces at St George’s Park before jetting off to Germany for the latest edition of the continental championships.
Runners-up to Italy under the Wembley arch in 2021, the Three Lions have been heralded as one of the pre-tournament favourites, although the likes of the Azzurri, France, Portugal and hosts Germany will have a thing or two to say about that.
Not since conquering the globe at the 1966 World Cup have England’s men’s team come up trumps in a major tournament, and the Three Lions now bid to emulate their female colleagues, who won Euro 2022 at the home of English football.
Placed in Group C alongside Slovenia, Denmark and Serbia, England commence their latest quest for European stardom against the latter on June 16, before facing the Scandinavians on June 20 and Slovenia five days later.
As is the case with their Euro 2024 opponents, Southgate’s squad will pit their wits against a couple of foes in friendly contests in front of the home crowd, giving the England boss a chance to assess both his regular starters and some fringe players bidding to make the final 26-man selection.
Are England in action today?
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England are not playing today, but Three Lions fans will not have to wait too much longer to see their beloved team take to the field again.
Indeed, Southgate’s players will host Bosnia-Herzegovina – who failed to qualify for the Euros – in a friendly at St James’ Park on Monday, June 3, with kickoff scheduled for 7:45pm.
How can I watch England? TV, streaming options
England’s clash with Bosnia will be shown on Channel 4 on UK TV, with coverage set to start at 7pm – 45 minutes before kickoff – and ending at 10pm.
What other Euro 2024 warm-up matches will England play?
Following the showdown with Bosnia, England have one final friendly against Iceland on their pre-Euro 2024 agenda, taking on their Euro 2016 conquerors at Wembley on Friday, June 7.
How is England’s Euro 2024 squad shaping up?
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Southgate called upon an initial 33-man training squad to form the England cohort for their warm-up period, but at least seven and as many as 10 players will be cut from the squad before the final squads have to be submitted on June 7.
Most of the Three Lions’ representatives are in tip-top shape, but there is concern over striker Harry Kane, who was struggling with a back injury during the final stages of his debut Bayern Munich season.
Manchester United defensive duo Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw have also been laid low by calf and thigh problems respectively, and while the former should be fine for the Euros, Southgate has conceded that Shaw is a “long shot”.
In addition, Jude Bellingham will not be involved for England against Bosnia owing to his participation in the 2023-24 Champions League final, providing an assist for Vinicius Junior as Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 for their 15th European crown.