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Key events
Whatever happens at Wembley, I’m pretty sure the goal of the day has already been scored*:
* For those who can’t see the video, it’s Marcis Oss of Latvia scoring an own goal from an improbable angle after 14 seconds of a game against Liechtenstein. Pretty special. The game is currently tied at 1-1 with three minutes to play.
The teams!
Team news is in, and it looks like this. Kobbie Mainoo starts, alongside Jarrod Bowen, Lewis Dunk and Ivan Toney.
England: Pickford; Konsa, Stones, Dunk, Chilwell; Rice, Mainoo, Bowen, Bellingham, Foden; Toney.
Belgium: Sels, Castagne, Debast, Vertonghen, Theate, Onana, Mangala, Tielemans, Trossard, Lukaku, Doku.
Referee: Sebastian Gishamer (Austria).
Preamble
Belgium’s golden generation are becoming increasingly silver-haired, and perhaps it is now England’s turn to benefit from a crop of wonderful talents. But even with Kevin de Bruyne injured (Romelu Lukaku, who wasn’t fit enough to play in the goalless draw in Ireland at the weekend, takes the armband) they have enough quality to bother an under-strength home side without Harry Kane, Kyle Walker, Harry Maguire. “Can we win? We’re going to try,” said Jeremy Doku. Domenico Tedesco’s side had not failed to score in 10 games with him in charge before their trip to Dublin. “We need to be brave, with open and positive football,” Tedesco said. “It is an ideal opportunity to test us at the very highest level. England may be missing some players, but that makes them anything but weak.”
Well time will tell on that front. Kobbie Mainoo and Ivan Toney are confirmed starters, the latter getting a chance to press his claims to be Harry Kane’s understudy. You can argue about their overall quality but he seems as close as you could hope to get to Kane’s skillset so more of a straight swap should it be needed, but he could do with an international goal to boost his argument.
Here’s David Hytner’s match preview, focusing on the man who will captain the team this evening, Declan Rice. I’ll be back shortly with the teams.
It is a story that bears retelling mainly because it will make people smile. It was early last week, the England squad have joined up at St George’s Park for the Wembley friendlies against Brazil and Belgium, and Declan Rice bumps into John Stones. So, Arsenal versus Manchester City and, as everybody knows, it is Arsenal versus Manchester City after the international break – at the Etihad Stadium this Sunday. Well, not everybody, as it turns out.
“I said: ‘Big game next,’” Rice says. “And John said: ‘Who are you playing?’ And I said: ‘We’ve got you lot!’ He said: ‘Oh yeah.’ He didn’t even know they were playing us next! When he’s away from football he likes to be with his family and switch off and I get that. He likes to take one game at a time.”
Much more here:
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