England host Iceland at Wembley on Friday night in what is the final warm-up friendly before the squad sets off for the European Championships.
Gareth Southgate has finalised his 26-man squad ahead of Uefa’s formal deadline, and while the debate around inclusions and exclusions will rage on, those in the squad will be aiming to secure their place in the starting eleven with a good showing this evening.
Notable absences from the 26 include centre-back Harry Maguire and Manchester City winger Jack Grealish, with James Maddison, Jarell Quansah, Curtis Jones, Jarrad Branthwaite and James Trafford the others to miss out.
These exclusions mean that there are a few places up for grabs in the starting side, with players such as Kobbie Mainoo, Adam Wharton, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marc Guehi all vying for a spot.
Expect Southgate to name a fairly strong starting eleven as he aims to see how a young, new-look squad has gelled before the Euro 2024 group stage opener against Serbia on 16 June.
Follow all the build-up and team news below.
England vs Iceland LIVE
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live text coverage of tonight’s match between England and Iceland.
The England boss has already announced the squad that will take part in the competition with James Maddison is one of the bigger names to miss out. Jack Grealish’s omission meanwhile took most people by surprise while Harry Maguire hasn’t recovered from injury in time to feature.
The Three Lions took on Bosnia and Herzegovina earlier this week running out 3-0 winners at St. James’ Park with goals for Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Kane. An experimental line-up saw Alexander-Arnold start alongside Conor Gallagher in midfield but it is expected Southgate will go with a more traditional looking side against Iceland to get some playing time in for his first choice picks.
Karl Matchett7 June 2024 16:02