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Team news
England XI (4-3-3): Hampton; Bronze, Le Tissier, Morgan, Hinds; Walsh, Kendall, Toone; Beever-Jones, Mead, Russo
Subs: Keating, Moorhouse, Charles, Stanway, Greenwood, Carter, Kelly, Kearns, Agyemang, Blindkilde Brown, Fisk, Naz
Wiegman hands two debuts to Kendall and Hinds. Hampton makes her return from injury, while it seems Le Tissier has earned her start at centre-back tonight after much fan drama.
Australia XI (4-2-3-1): Arnold; Carpenter, Hunt, Heatley, Catley; Gorry, Kennedy; Cooney-Cross, Sayer, Foord; Kerr
Subs: Micah, Aquino, Nevin, Vine, Wheeler, Torpey, Raso, Grant, McNamara, Siemsen, Rankin, Heyman
Only two changes from the Matildas win against Wales, with Torpey and Wheeler making way for Kennedy and Sayer. Kerr handed another chance to get more minutes in her legs. Her last goal for Australia was on 1 November, 2023 – almost two years to the day.
As for Australia, their late winner against Wales was surely a welcome one but the Matilda’s dominance drifted during the game. Joe Montemurro’s side started strong but the misplaced passes and errors crept in allowing the hosts some good spells of possession.
Much of the buildup to the match was around Sam Kerr’s return. The captain and star striker was making her first international appearance since 2023 and while it was a subdued performance, her return ignites a lot of buzz … and a lot of questions.
Once the excitement of her return settles, there are pertinent questions as to how she will fit into this team. She is a freak athlete, but also one who is 32 and coming off a near two-year-long recovery. She was injured while Tony Gustavsson was national-team coach – the Swede having landed on a 4-4-2 that got close to the best out of her and Foord – but Montemurro will have his own ideas on how to fit her into what he wants to do. Part of this will be figuring out her place in an attack also featuring Foord (arguably the Matildas’ most important player now), Raso, McNamara, Amy Sayer, Mary Fowler, Michelle Heyman and any other forward that emerges.
Joey Lynch’s full analysis is below.
So what happened against Brazil? The Canarinhas came out at the Etihad Stadium quickly and they were 2-0 up within 18 minutes as the Lionesses’s makeshift defence struggled with the pace of Ludmilla, Zaneratto and Dudinha. Angelina was sent off in the 21st minute and naturally, the visitor’s gameplan changed, approaching the rest of the match more timidly.
Despite the player advantage, England struggled. They registered three shots on target and four big chances, both stats the same as their opponents despite having 70% possession.
Both Suzanne Wrack and Sophie Downey were in Manchester to see England’s loss first-hand and both voiced that there is little cause for concern … yet.
But continuing weaknesses have to be a focus for Wiegman and her new cohort of assistants to try to rectify before qualification begins for the 2027 World Cup next spring. This game may turn out to be a blessing in disguise, a red flag against complacency and a reminder that lifting silverware on the international stage does not automatically fix endemic problems. If England can figure out that side of their game, there is no doubt that with the quality of personnel available, this team could push the levels of their success even higher than they have previously done.
Read Sophie’s full analysis below.
Preamble
Sound the alarms, England are in crisis mode … is what we would say if we were to take the Lionesses 2-1 loss to 10-player Brazil on Saturday at face value (and even then, saying the above would be quite the stretch).
But, as Sarina Wiegman has repeatedly stressed, England are in experimental mode as early ground work begins for the 2027 World Cup. The manager knows the squad she relied on to win back-to-back European Championship titles will be different in 18 months’ time and is using these friendlies as a chance to see what works and what does not.
With all that being said, Wiegman and the players have also said that the habit of winning is important to maintain. It did not work against Brazil but a new test awaits today at Pride Park in Derby.
Australia have had a rocky few months and this England match is part of their preparation for their home Asian Cup in March. Joe Montemurro was hired four months ago after a string of disappointing results, including at the Paris Olympics. Sam Kerr returned after a 725-day absence and the Matildas will surely be a big vengeful. The last time the sides faced each other was at the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup, a 3-1 England win.
Much to look forward to and discuss. Kick-off is at 7pm GMT / 6am AEDT. As always, feel free to send your thoughts, questions, predictions and judgments on Wiegman’s tactics my way via email.
