The Lionesses face China – Female Friendly Fixture
Introduction
Greetings and welcome to the friendly game between the English side and the Chinese squad at the iconic Wembley. The match is set to be a thriller with the European Championship holders taking on the holders of the Asian Cup title.
The home of English football is fully booked for the event, which will see Fran Kirby recognized pre-match after her international retirement before the European Championship this past summer.
Squad announcements 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 minor injury, and so former number one Ellie Roebuck has been added to the squad.
With Hannah Hampton unavailable, it will be interesting to see who head coach Sarina Wiegman selects in goal. This information and additional developments are on the way before the opening whistle at 17:30 GMT.
Lineup Announcements
The team news is in. Anna Moorhouse will be the goalkeeper for England in the non-presence of Hannah Hampton and Khiara Keating.
England's starting eleven: Moorhouse, Bronze, Charles, Walsh, Le Tissier, Morgan, Mead, Stanway, Russo, Toone, Hemp.
Bench: Hings, Baggaley, Kendall, Wubben-Moy, Beever-Jones, Kelly, Kearns, Park, Blindkilde Brown, Roebuck, Clinton, Denton, Fisk, Godfrey.
Details are being sought for the squad from China now; once it is available, I will provide the update.
Leadership Role
Keira Walsh is captaining the Lionesses with Leah Williamson still injured. These were her comments before this match:
Walsh assumes captaincy as England confront new hurdle in meeting of continental winners.
First Cap News
Tonight’s game will be Anna Moorhouse’s maiden cap for England. She belonged to the European Championship squad who triumphed this past summer, but she did not play any minutes with Hannah Hampton in the first-choice keeper position.
Earlier Fixture Update
The opening match of the women’s Nations League final was held yesterday; get the details on all of the events:
Women’s Nations League: Spain’s Cata Coll stops Germany, leaving final outcome open.
Match Updates
Real-time coverage from the game will be provided with important moments and latest developments as the game progresses.
