The Lionesses versus China – Women’s Friendly Match
Introduction
Welcome everyone to the non-competitive game between the English side and China at the iconic Wembley. The match is set to be a thriller with the reigning European champions competing against the holders of the Asian Cup title.
The iconic Wembley is sold-out for the event, which will see the celebrated Fran Kirby honored pre-match after her retirement from the national team before the European Championship this past summer.
The team news will be shared imminently, but there was a recent 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 added to the squad.
With Hannah Hampton unavailable, it will be interesting to see who head coach Sarina Wiegman selects in goal. Those details along with further updates are incoming before the start of the match at 5.30pm GMT.
Team News
The team news is in. Anna Moorhouse is the starting keeper for England in the absence of Hannah Hampton and Khiara Keating.
England: Moorhouse, Bronze, Charles, Walsh, Le Tissier, Morgan, Mead, Stanway, Russo, Toone, Hemp.
Substitutes: Hings, Baggaley, Kendall, Wubben-Moy, Beever-Jones, Kelly, Kearns, Park, Blindkilde Brown, Roebuck, Clinton, Denton, Fisk, Godfrey.
Details are being sought for the Chinese lineup now; once it is available, I will post it.
Leadership Role
Keira Walsh is leading the Lionesses with Leah Williamson still sidelined. Here’s what she had to say before this match:
Walsh takes lead role as England face new test in clash of continental champions.
Debut Alert
The upcoming fixture will be Anna Moorhouse's debut for England. She featured in the Euros team who won this past summer, but she did not play any minutes with Hannah Hampton in the number one shirt.
Earlier Fixture Update
The first leg of the Women’s Nations League title decider occurred yesterday; catch up with all of the events:
Women’s Nations League: Spain’s Cata Coll denies Germany to keep final in the balance.
Real-Time Coverage
Live updates from the game will proceed with major incidents and latest developments as the action unfolds.
