.png)
2 hours ago
1
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
1 min: It looks like England are starting with Hemp on the right, James on the left and Park in the middle. We could see a few changes though, with Hemp possibly moving over to the other side and James perhaps coming inside.
Kick-off
Russo gets the match under way at the City Ground.
Before kick-off, there is a minute’s applause to celebrate the life and legacy of Lynda Hale, who passed away recently.
Hale played and scored in England’s first-ever fixture.
The teams are out. The national anthems have been sung. Kick-off is just a few moments away!
You may have noticed that Alex Greenwood is not in the England line-up again today. She withdrew from the squad earlier this week with a minor muscle injury. The defender has now returned to Manchester City to continue her recovery.
While we wait for kick-off, be sure to subscribe to the Moving the Goalposts newsletter for exclusives, updates, and all the latest women’s football news to your inbox twice a week.
Sarina Wiegman is expecting a “very tough” game for England against Iceland today. Ahead of the match, she said: “They are a very strong team. They are very disciplined, very physical and very direct with a lot of pace. We have seen some of their earlier performances, specifically against Spain, so we know they are very tough to beat. We think we will have the ball a lot, but it will also be very hard to break down their defence.
“We know it is going to be a very tough game. They have some very dangerous attacks. They are tough to beat and we will have to be at our top level.”
Alessia Russo, Georgia Stanway and Jess Park all scored twice as England cruised to a 6-1 win over Ukraine on Tuesday. You can recap the action with Tom Garry’s report:
Lucy Bronze will make her 145th England appearance this afternoon, taking her up to third in the nation’s all-time appearance list. She now only sits behind Jill Scott (161) and Fara Williams (172) for caps achieved.
Lucy Bronze and Lauren James return to the England starting line-up this afternoon, with Esme Morgan also replacing Lotte Wubben-Moy in defence. A very strong XI from Sarina Wiegman.
Team news
England starting line-up: Hannah Hampton; Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, Esme Morgan, Taylor Hinds; Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway; Jess Park, Lauren James, Lauren Hemp; Alessia Russo.
Substitutes: Anna Moorhouse, Ellie Roebuck, Maya Le Tissier, Lucia Kendall, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Poppy Pattinson, Chloe Kelly, Grace Clinton, Aggie Beever-Jones, Laura Blindkilde Brown, Jess Carter, Freya Godfrey.
Iceland starting line-up: Cecilía Rán Rúnarsdóttir; Guðrún Arnardóttir, Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir, Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir, Sædís Rún Heiðarsdóttir; Ída Marín Hermannsdóttir, Hildur Antonsdóttir, Karólína Lea Vilhjálmsdóttir; Hlín Eiríksdóttir, Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir, Sandra María Jessen.
Substitutes: Telma Ívarsdóttir, Fanney Inga Birkisdóttir, Berglind Ágústsdóttir, Emilía Kiær Ásgeirsdóttir, Karitas Tómasdóttir, Alexandra Jóhannsdóttir, Diljá Ýr Zomers, Birta Georgsdóttir, María Catharína Ólafsdóttir Grós, Thelma Pálmadóttir, Hafrún Rakel Halldórsdóttir, Elín Helena Karlsdóttir.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to coverage of the Women’s World Cup qualifier between England and Iceland. It’s matchday two on the road to Brazil and the Lionesses go into it as the leaders of Group A3.
England got their qualifying campaign off to a flying start on Tuesday with a 6-1 win over Ukraine thanks to goals from Alessia Russo, Georgia Stanway and Jess Park. Meanwhile, Iceland suffered a 3-0 loss to reigning world champions Spain.
Sarina Wiegman expects a “tough game” at the City Ground this afternoon as the Lionesses look to keep their place at the top.
Kick-off for this one is at 12:30pm GMT – join me!
