England face the Chinese team – Women's Friendly International
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the exhibition game between the English side and the Chinese squad at London’s Wembley. An exciting encounter is anticipated with the European Championship holders competing against the current Asian Cup champions.
England’s national stadium is fully booked for the match, which will see the celebrated Fran Kirby honored pre-match after her retirement from the national team before the Euros this past summer.
Squad announcements will be shared imminently, but there was a last minute squad update for England. On Friday, the goalkeeper Khiara Keating withdrew from the squad with a minor injury, and so former number one Ellie Roebuck has been called up.
With Hannah Hampton out of action, it will be intriguing to observe who head coach Sarina Wiegman selects in goal. This information and additional developments are incoming before kick-off at 17:30 GMT.
Team News
The team news is in. Anna Moorhouse will be the goalkeeper for England in the unavailability 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.
I am searching for China’s team news now; as soon as I have it, I will provide the update.
Captaincy Update
Keira Walsh is leading the Lionesses with Leah Williamson still sidelined. These were her comments before this encounter:
Walsh takes lead role as England face new test in clash of continental champions.
First Cap News
Tonight’s game will be Anna Moorhouse’s first appearance for England. She featured in 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 initial encounter of the final of the Women’s Nations League took place yesterday; review all of the action:
Women’s Nations League: Cata Coll of Spain thwarts Germany, ensuring final remains undecided.
Match Updates
Live updates from the match will continue with major incidents and current information as the game progresses.
