England versus China – Female Exhibition Fixture
Introduction
Greetings and welcome to the friendly match between England and the Chinese squad at Wembley Stadium. The match is set to be a thriller with the reigning European champions competing against the current Asian Cup champions.
England’s national stadium is fully booked for the event, which will see Fran Kirby honored pre-match after her departure from the England squad before the Euro tournament this past summer.
Lineup details will be announced shortly, but there was a late squad update for England. On Friday, Khiara Keating withdrew from the squad with a slight knock, and so previous starter Ellie Roebuck has been added to the squad.
With Hannah Hampton unavailable, it will be intriguing to observe who England manager Sarina Wiegman selects in goal. That news and all the other updates are coming up before the opening whistle at 17:30 GMT.
Team News
The lineups have been announced. Anna Moorhouse will be the goalkeeper for England in the absence of Hannah Hampton and Khiara Keating.
England's starting eleven: Moorhouse, Bronze, Charles, Walsh, Le Tissier, Morgan, Mead, Stanway, Russo, Toone, Hemp.
Bench: 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 captaining the Lionesses with Leah Williamson still unfit. These were her comments before this match:
Walsh takes lead role as England face new test in clash of continental champions.
Debut Alert
This evening’s match will be Anna Moorhouse's maiden cap for England. She featured in the Euro-winning side who triumphed this past summer, but she remained on the bench with Hannah Hampton in the first-choice keeper position.
Recent Action
The first leg of the final of the Women’s Nations League took place yesterday; catch up with all of the events:
Women’s Nations League: Cata Coll of Spain thwarts Germany, ensuring final remains undecided.
Real-Time Coverage
Real-time coverage from the game will be provided with key events and current information as the match proceeds.
