England versus China – Women's Friendly International
Preamble
Greetings and welcome to the non-competitive game between the English side and China at the iconic Wembley. An exciting encounter is anticipated with the European Championship holders taking on the holders of the Asian Cup title.
The home of English football is packed for the match, which will see Fran Kirby recognized pre-match after her departure from the England squad before the Euro tournament this past summer.
Squad announcements will be announced shortly, but there was a late squad update for England. On Friday, the goalkeeper Khiara Keating withdrew from the squad with a slight knock, and so former number one Ellie Roebuck has been called up.
With Hannah Hampton out of action, it will be notable to find out who England manager Sarina Wiegman selects in goal. That news and all the other updates are incoming before kick-off at 5:30 in the evening GMT.
Squad Updates
The team news is in. Anna Moorhouse is the starting keeper for England in the absence 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 Chinese lineup now; as soon as I have it, I will post it.
Captaincy Update
Keira Walsh is serving as captain for the Lionesses with Leah Williamson still sidelined. She shared these thoughts before this match:
Walsh assumes captaincy as England confront new hurdle in meeting of continental winners.
Debut Alert
This evening’s match will be Anna Moorhouse’s first appearance for England. She belonged to the Euro-winning side who won this past summer, but she did not play any minutes with Hannah Hampton in the starting goalkeeper role.
Earlier Fixture Update
The opening match of the women’s Nations League final was held yesterday; review all of the events:
Women’s Nations League: Spain’s Cata Coll denies Germany to keep final in the balance.
Real-Time Coverage
Live feed from the match will continue with key events and timely updates as the match proceeds.
