After suffering an embarrassing draw against Republic of Ireland, England will look to make amends when they host Belgium at Wembley Stadium this Friday night. Gareth Southgate will use this friendly as an audition opportunity for those on the edges of his squad prior to Euro 2024.
Ivan Toney and Jarrod Bowen will look to impress their manager while Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo could also make his debut this week.
In this article, we will discuss about the high lights of England National Football Team vs Belgium National Football Team Lineups.
England National Football Team
| Number | Player Name | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jordan Pickford | Goalkeeper | Everton |
| 2 | Ezri Konsa | Right Back | Aston Villa |
| 5 | John Stones | Center Back | Manchester City |
| 6 | Lewis Dunk | Center Back | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 3 | Ben Chilwell | Left Back | Chelsea |
| 4 | Declan Rice (C) | Midfielder | Arsenal |
| 21 | Kobbie Mainoo | Midfielder | Manchester United |
| 10 | Jude Bellingham | Midfielder | Real Madrid |
| 18 | Jarrod Bowen | Right Wing | West Ham United |
| 7 | Phil Foden | Left Wing | Manchester City |
| 17 | Ivan Toney | Striker | Brentford |
Belgium National Football Team
| Number | Player Name | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Matz Sels | Goalkeeper | Strasbourg |
| 21 | Timothy Castagne | Right Back | Fulham |
| 2 | Zeno Debast | Center Back | Anderlecht |
| 5 | Jan Vertonghen | Center Back | Anderlecht |
| 3 | Arthur Theate | Left Back | Rennes |
| 6 | Amadou Onana | Midfielder | Everton |
| 18 | Orel Mangala | Midfielder | Nottingham Forest |
| 8 | Youri Tielemans | Midfielder | Aston Villa |
| 7 | Jeremy Doku | Right Wing | Manchester City |
| 11 | Leandro Trossard | Left Wing | Arsenal |
| 10 | Romelu Lukaku (C) | Striker | Roma |
England National Football Team
Gareth Southgate has been forced to make several adjustments for England’s clash against Belgium due to an array of injuries. Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane have both pulled out, while Jack Grealish, Luke Shaw and Kieran Trippier are no longer considered. Newcastle United midfielder Tino Livramento may make his Three Lions debut after Ezri Konsa was sidelined due to a hip injury suffered against Greece; Morgan Rogers Jarrod Bowen James Maddison were all called up; while Arsenal teenager Kobbie Mainoo will make his full England debut.
Southgate will likely opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation, featuring Stones and Guehi at centre-back; Trent Alexander-Arnold in right back; Kieran Trippier on left flank and Daniel Sturridge as striker after his disappointing showing against Brazil; Declan Rice and Jordan Bellingham partnering up in midfield; Aaron Ramsey will start on bench while both Jude Bellingham and Anthony Gordon earn first call-ups from Manchester United defenders Jude Bellingham and Anthony Gordon both get maiden call ups.
Lee Carsley will make his last selection as interim manager before Thomas Tuchel takes over, giving Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers and Birmingham City’s Jarrod Bowen their debut caps along with Manchester United youngsters Lewis Hall and Angel Gomes, and non-playing squad members such as Curtis Jones and Noni Madueke another chance to demonstrate themselves.
Belgium are determined to improve upon their performance following a disappointing 1-1 draw against Brazil, but due to injury they will miss key players such as Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku who could make all the difference for Euro 2024 qualification campaign.
But the Red Devils will receive a significant boost with the return of defender Moussa Dembele from calf injury, with Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas also fit to play following shoulder issues. Wolfsburg’s Koen Casteels was expected to miss out due to an injured shoulder.
Lille duo Youri Tielemans and Aster Vranckx were added as backup options; Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku may add some attacking flare from the bench; however, Belgium will remain strong defensively.
Gareth Southgate
After their embarrassing 1-0 defeat by Brazil and disappointing performance against North Macedonia in their 2024 European Championship qualifier, England must respond by impressing when hosting Belgium at Wembley on Tuesday night. Gareth Southgate must get his side playing well before Thomas Tuchel takes over as coach in January, so Gareth Southgate will hope for an improved showing against their Belgian rivals.
Southgate has come under pressure to give fringe players an opportunity to demonstrate their talents, with Ezri Konsa and Jarrod Bowen set for their England debuts tonight. Both could feature in Southgate’s Euros squad selection so this fixture offers both players an ideal chance to leave an impressionful first impression ahead of their summer trip to Germany.
Young talent could also have an opportunity to shine, including Manchester City winger Phil Foden and Arsenal centre-back Kieran Gibbs-White from Manchester City and Arsenal respectively. Southgate could use such players to relieve some of the load off Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham; with Adam Wharton and Cole Palmer competing for one central-midfield spot.
Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker, Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish and James Maddison will be absent due to injury – with Kobbie Mainoo, Ivan Toney and Eberechi Eze being given opportunities to prove they deserve to travel with England to Germany. Southgate may have chosen Kobbie Mainoo over Ivan Toney as an answer as well as to include younger players like Kobbie Mainoo for Southgate’s team in order to balance out this lack of experience and bring in younger talent instead.
Belgium remains impressive despite losing some key players, thanks to coach Domenico Tedesco. While Eden Hazard, Toby Alderwiereld and Dries Mertens have since left, new talent has emerged to replace them and produce impressive results this season.
Romelu Lukaku missed Belgium’s draw against Ireland due to a groin strain, but is expected to return for their clash tonight against Ireland. Alongside fellow strikers Kevin de Bruyne, Jan Vertonghen and Dries Mertens in their squad, Belgium appear positioned to create serious threats up front tonight while Ireland have limited attacking options and may find it hard to score more than one goal.
Sports Team