Captain Kerr leads Matildas in need of a lift
Football is a team game but it’ll be hard to take your eyes off the Australian captain and Chelsea legend, Sam Kerr. If her and her teammates are to upset the odds and end England’s 31 game unbeaten run, she’ll need to produce a ripper of a performance.
Australia: Arnold, Polkinghorne, Fowler, Yallop, Raso, Gorry, Kerr (c), Carpenter, Grant, Cooney-Cross, Hunt
Replacements: Williams, Nevin, Luik, Vine, Micah, Crummer, Siemsen, Wheeler, Chidiac, Whyman, Sayer, McNamara
England release team with just eight players
Notice anything different about this team sheet? It’s not just that England are introducing their new – and can I say, brilliant – blue kit for this game.
It’s that only eight players have been named on social media. Don’t worry, Sarina Wiegman isn’t disrespecting her opponents. There’ll be a full compliment on the field later. It’s that England, like Australia, are honouring those who suffer from alzheimers and dementia as well as their family members.
England: Earps, Bronze, Carter, Walsh, Williamson (c), Morgan, Kelly, Stanway, Russo, Toone, Hemp
Replacements: Le Tissier, Roebuck, Wubben-Moy, Charles, Nobbs, James, Coombs, Daly, Park, Hampton, Robinson, Parker.
Preamble
Daniel Gallan
Hello and welcome to the live blog of this so-called ‘friendly’ between the European champions and the hosts of this year’s World Cup. Don’t believe the branding. Oh sure, at first glance this one doesn’t count for much beyond bragging rights and the chance for both teams to tinker with a couple of moving parts before the big event this summer, but look a little deeper and there’s plenty at stake in west London tonight.
England are riding high after their Finalissima triumph on Thursday which extended their unbeaten run under Sarina Wiegman to 31 games.
As for the Matildas, they’re needing a lift following a 1-0 reverse to Scotland on Friday. That defeat saw Tony Gustavsson’s side waste a boatload of chances which doesn’t bode well for their prospects tonight, or indeed a home World Cup that kicks off in exactly 100 days.
Beyond xG and corner counts is something far more important. Tonight’s game is raising money for the Alzheimer’s Society as it seeks to “devastation caused by dementia, with dedicated support and life-changing treatments”. So whatever the result, this one should be special.
My name is Dan. I’m chuffed to be here. If you fancy getting in touch with anything humorous, insightful, provoking or meaningful – or just want to say hi – then please do so.
Kick off at 7:45 BST. Teams and other bits to follow shortly.