England host Greece at Wembley Stadium on Thursday in Group B of the UEFA Nations League, with both teams looking to continue their perfect start in the latest edition of the tournament.
Lee Carsley made an impressive start to his caretaker spell against the Republic of Ireland and Finland in the last international break in September, while Ivan Jovanovic also began his charge of the Greek national team with victories over the same opposition.
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Greece leads the group on goal difference, something England will seek to overturn when the two teams meet.
The match is indelibly etched in the memory of many England fans after David Beckham scored a last-gasp free-kick in October 2002 that resulted in a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford and ensured the Three Lions reached the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Africa. Korea.
Key details:
Date: Thursday, October 10 at 7:45 PM GMT (2:45 PM ET).
Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Referee: Andrea Colombo
Video Assistant Referee: Valerio Marini
How to watch:
The game will be shown live on ITV and ITVX in the UK. You can also follow ESPN’s live updates.
Team news:
Carsley’s first team for England in September was considered bold after he selected players such as Lille midfielder Angel Gomes and Chelsea’s Noni Madueke, two players he worked with in the youth team, and were retained for the October matches.
Dominic Solanke’s early-season form for Tottenham has earned him his first call-up since 2017, and the former Bournemouth man will no doubt be looking to make his mark amid competition from Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins.
Harry Kane scored twice in England’s final match as he celebrated his 100th cap, although he is a doubt over his injury for the Greece match. Justin Setterfield – FA/FA via Getty Images
Captain Keane was a source of concern for the interim coach after he left Bayern Munich’s 3-3 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday, but tests carried out on Monday showed he had not suffered any structural damage. However, the former Tottenham star trained alone on Tuesday, with England saying he was “working indoors on an individual programme” at the St George’s Park base.
Three names were withdrawn from the list mentioned by Carsley due to injury issues. The FA said that Ezri Konsa, Kobe Maino and Morgan Gibbs-White will miss both matches.
The main headache for Greece will be the fitness of star striker Fotis Ioannidis, who had to be substituted in the final moments of Panathinaikos’s draw with Olympiacos on Sunday.
Form guide
Carsley’s back-to-back 2-0 wins over Ireland and Finland followed Gareth Southgate’s final tournament as England manager, with the Three Lions reaching the final of Euro 2024 only to lose to Spain in the final.
A penalty shootout victory over Switzerland in the quarter-finals was preceded by a 2-1 win over the Netherlands in the semi-finals thanks to Ollie Watkins’ sharp touch in the closing stages.
Cole Palmer appeared to have brought England to life with a precise equalizer in the final in Berlin, before a precise cross from Mark Cucurella reached Mikel Oyarzabal to extend the national team’s tournament ache to at least 60 by the time of the next opportunity in the United States. Mexico and Canada come around.
Meanwhile, Greece missed out on the European Championship in heartbreaking fashion, losing on penalties to Georgia in the final under Gus Poyet. Since then, their caretaker coach Nikos Papadopoulos has overseen a 2-1 friendly defeat to Germany followed by a 3-0 win over Malta, before Jovanovic began coaching with a 2-0 away win over Ireland and a 3-0 home win against Finland. .
Panathinaikos striker Ioannidis is in good form with the national team, having scored three goals in his two UEFA Nations League matches so far.
