England take on Australia tonight in a friendly at Wembley, ahead of next week’s Euros qualifier against Italy.
It will only be England’s second match at Wembley this year, and just a second friendly since March 2022 after a run of 16 consecutive competitive matches came to an end with last month’s 3-1 victory at Scotland.
It means Gareth Southgate may look to experiment with his side, and could hand debuts to a number of young players.
What time is England vs Australia?
England vs Australia kicks off at 7.45pm from Wembley.
The Euros qualifier against Italy, which could secure England’s qualification, takes place on Tuesday at the same time, also from Wembley.
If Ukraine draw with North Macedonia on Saturday and England defeat the Italians then they confirm their spot in the Euro 2024 group stages. A North Macedonia win would mean a draw would be enough for England, though qualification is highly likely anyway, with Gareth Southgate’s men sitting six points clear at the top of the group.
How can I watch the match?
The match will be shown live on Channel 4, with coverage starting at 7pm. You can also stream the game via the Channel 4 website.
What should we expect?
Southgate wants England’s players to be mentally “spot on” and grab their opportunity to impress as he experiments against Australia.
“It’s one of the great sporting rivalries and if Australia have any sniff that we’re not taking the game seriously, then we will be in trouble,” the England boss said.
“Our mindset has got to be spot on. Equally, we’ve still got a bit of work to do to qualify for a European Championship, but we are potentially six games away from that.
“We have good players and we need to give people opportunities to show what they can do.
“That is part of our bond as a team, making sure people get chances to play and feel part of the group and important within that, so we have to get that right balance.
“Most importantly, we have got good players and we need to have them in positions on the field where they can do their best work and feel comfortable, positions they play with their clubs, so that the transfer is as smooth as possible.”
Jarrod Bowen will be hoping to make a dream Wembley debut after the West Ham star returned to the England set-up for the first time since September 2022.
Chelsea defender Levi Colwill could make his debut, while uncapped Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah and in-form Aston Villa frontman Ollie Watkins will hope to prove a worthy back-up to skipper Harry Kane.
Southgate would not confirm who will captain England on Friday, but it appears unlikely that Bayern Munich striker Kane will be leading the line from the start.
Asked if the Australia game is a chance for players to make their mark, Southgate said: “Yeah, I mean, I think one of the things we always want to do is to make playing for England enjoyable.
“It’s to take the tension out of playing for England, we want the lads to express themselves.
“Equally, when you play for England there is a pressure and you know that you’re not going to get 10 opportunities unless you play well.
“Every player that comes into the squad experiences that, has always done.
“So, you can’t relieve that. No matter what I say to a player, he’s going to know that, so players coming in they are opportunities and you have to grasp them.
“But they’ve had to do that at every stage of their career as well, when they first got into a club as a young player or when they first got in the first team at the club.
“They are used to that and all of them are more than capable of going and playing incredibly well, and they’ll also be very excited about a full house at Wembley and the opportunity to play there.”
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