Jadon Sancho has been handed his first start of Euro 2020 as Gareth Southgate makes two changes to his England team to face Ukraine.
The Borussia Dortmund forward has replaced Bukayo Saka in the frontline, while Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount is in for Kieran Trippier.
Both Saka and Trippier appeared to pick up knocks in the 2-0 victory over Germany in midweek with the Arsenal youngster dropping out of the matchday squad altogether.
The introduction of Mount means England switch back to the 4-2-3-1 system which served them well in the group stage.
Southgate had opted for a 3-4-3 formation in the last-16 clash on Tuesday night in a bid to counter Germany’s flying wing-backs, a tactic which clearly worked as England progressed with their fourth clean sheet of the tournament.
The England boss had hinted in the build-up to this quarter-final that he would pick his strongest team despite four of his players being at risk of a one-match suspension having already been booked.
Three of those players – Harry Maguire, Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice – all start with Phil Foden on the bench.
Should any of those players be booked by German referee Felix Brych they will miss the semi-final if England progress.
Southgate has at times been criticised for his conservative selections at the Euros so far, and Jack Grealish’s omission once again from his starting line-up is likely to raise a few eyebrows.
The Aston Villa captain came off the bench against Germany and had a hand in both goals. Despite the criticism, the England manager’s methods have worked so far and he will be hoping Grealish can contribute as a substitute once again if called upon.
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- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3hwwSy9
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