Marc Guehi is hoping to get the nod to fill in for John Stones within the centre of England’s defence, which could possibly be excellent news for Harry Maguire.
England supervisor Gareth Southgate is with out Stones for immediately’s European Championship qualifier towards Ukraine in Poland and subsequent week’s pleasant towards Scotland.
Stones sat out England’s Euro qualifying success towards Malta in June after successful the Champions League with Manchester Metropolis, with Guehi deputising subsequent to Maguire.
The duo helped England hold a clear sheet and the early expectation is that Guehi and Maguire will pair up once more, regardless of Maguire’s state of affairs at Manchester United.
Levi Colwill is anticipated to make his England senior debut, however that’s extra prone to come from both the substitutes’ bench or towards Scotland in Glasgow.
What’s it?
England play Ukraine of their solely aggressive match of September’s worldwide break, earlier than they play Scotland in a pleasant.
Objectives from Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka have been sufficient to earn England a victory when the nations performed at Wembley in March. England ran out 4-0 winners after they confronted Ukraine in Rome within the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 (performed in 2021).
When is it?
At the moment (Saturday, September 9). The sport will kick-off at 5pm (BST).
The place is the sport being performed?
The sport will probably be performed on the Tarczynski Enviornment in Wroclaw, Poland. Ukraine’s nationwide group have performed their dwelling matches in Poland since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February final 12 months.
What TV channel is it on?
Channel 4 have unique dwell protection of England’s Euro 2024 qualifiers within the UK.
Who’s in England’s squad?
James Maddison is pushing onerous to start out once more, as he did towards Malta, with Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane the opposite attacking gamers, and Jack Grealish dominated out by way of harm.
Maddison has been in excellent type for Tottenham Hotspur, the place he moved in the summertime from Leicester Metropolis.
Southgate will probably be compelled to make a minimum of two modifications from the Malta aspect, nevertheless, as Trent Alexander-Arnold just isn’t match, which simply frees up an area for Jude Bellingham.
Alexander-Arnold’s absence could also be excellent news for Jordan Henderson, who’s determined to show that he can nonetheless contribute to England regardless of shifting to Saudi Arabia.
Luke Shaw can be out injured, though the left-back did meet up with Southgate’s squad earlier this week at St George’s Park.
The absence of Shaw might see Kieran Trippier fill in at left-back, with Kyle Walker beginning at right-back.
England squad vs Ukraine
Goalkeepers: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).
Defenders: Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester Metropolis).
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Actual Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Al-Ettifaq), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester Metropolis), Declan Rice (Arsenal).
Forwards: Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester Metropolis), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), James Maddison (Tottenham Hotspur), Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Callum Wilson (Newcastle United).
What are the percentages?
- Ukraine to win: 7/1
- England to win: 12/25
- Draw: 7/2
Eddie Nketiah: Thierry Henry helped me by way of my profession setbacks
By Mike McGrath
It has been with the guiding hand of Thierry Henry that Eddie Nketiah has overcome setbacks on his solution to an England call-up this week.
Arsenal’s best goalscorer was an Academy coach on the membership when Nketiah was in Arsenal’s youthful age teams and the pair have been shut ever since.
Nketiah had been launched by Chelsea at 14, on the identical day as Declan Rice, and his path to Gareth Southgate’s squad has come through a mortgage at Leeds that was reduce brief and the post-Arsene Wenger period the place Arsenal managers gave him fleeting alternatives.
Now 24, he has felt the profit this season of normal matches beneath Mikel Arteta and has began the marketing campaign forward of Gabriel Jesus, resulting in the textual content message from Southgate. His alternative has include the recommendation of Henry, he noticed his potential on the Hale Finish headquarters of Arsenal’s younger gamers. .
“His finest recommendation was simply to imagine in your self. He got here in and noticed the standard I had after I was a first-year scholar and stated that I simply wanted to imagine in myself, no matter anybody else stated – that’s what will drive you, to inspire you. That’s most likely among the best items of recommendation I’ve ever obtained,” Nketiah stated.
“Thierry has been magnificent for me. It was one among my finest and most gratifying seasons, with the ability to bounce concepts off him and he gave me a variety of confidence and nonetheless to today after I see him he’s nonetheless supportive and nonetheless actually useful.”
Nketiah has been given Henry’s well-known No14 shirt, which he says he’s making an attempt to place his personal stamp on relatively than recreate the Frenchman’s nice Arsenal moments. After the ache of his launch at Chelsea, he’s decided to take advantage of his run in Arteta’s group which has yielded two objectives in 4 appearances in the beginning of the marketing campaign.
“I feel it did [make me more determined],” Nketiah stated. “I used to be at Chelsea from the ages of 9 and 14 and it got here as a shock to me as a result of I used to be doing effectively on the time. Clearly Declan [Rice] was of that age group as effectively and had the same expertise.
“I feel it offers you an awakening and simply figuring out that issues can change like that – which you can lose all the things you’ve gotten labored for. It offers you that further little bit of motivation and resilience when instances are onerous. I’m capable of dig a stage deeper than possibly some individuals can or don’t need to go into. It’s all a part of the expertise. Some boys may not have skilled it however then they may have had lows of their careers. This was my journey and it has helped me by who I’m immediately.”
Nketiah admitted he misplaced his composure when he obtained the England call-up, celebrating together with his household and an in depth buddy at his dwelling. He’s at dwelling at St George’s Park, having come by way of the ranks with England and turning into the Underneath-21s main goalscorer. He’s additionally eligible for Ghana however needed to decide to England.
“Clearly each side have been at all times an possibility, I feel naturally coming by way of the academy at England clearly you’ve gotten the aspiration to play right here and like I stated as soon as the decision up was there and the supply was on the desk it was actually onerous to show down and one thing which I felt was a pure development for myself at this stage,” he stated.
“I felt now was time to make that step so clearly I’m actually glad to be right here and proud to be right here like I stated, hopefully I can go on and assist the group this week and get some caps.”
With the seniors, he’s hoping to bounce concepts off one other legend. After suggestions from Henry, he desires to select the brains of Harry Kane.
“I may need a number of notes in my telephone! I feel it makes the dialog slightly bit simpler (now he has left Tottenham),” he joked. “Clearly, now that he has made the transfer over however he’s a incredible participant, and I want him all the most effective in his subsequent chapter.”
