The Lionesses versus the Chinese team – Female Friendly Fixture
Introduction
Greetings and welcome to the exhibition match between England and the Chinese squad at London’s Wembley. An exciting encounter is anticipated with the European Championship holders facing the reigning Asia Cup winners.
The iconic Wembley is packed for the match, which will see the celebrated Fran Kirby recognized pre-match after her retirement from the national team before the Euro tournament this past summer.
The team news will be announced shortly, but there was a recent squad update for England. On Friday, Khiara Keating withdrew from the squad with a small issue, and so previous starter Ellie Roebuck has been called up.
With Hannah Hampton unavailable, it will be intriguing to observe who the Lionesses' coach Sarina Wiegman selects in goal. Those details along with further updates are on the way before the opening whistle at 5.30pm GMT.
Lineup Announcements
The team news is in. Anna Moorhouse will be the goalkeeper for England in the unavailability of Hannah Hampton and Khiara Keating.
England's starting eleven: Moorhouse, Bronze, Charles, Walsh, Le Tissier, Morgan, Mead, Stanway, Russo, Toone, Hemp.
Reserves: 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; as soon as I have it, I will share it.
Captaincy Update
Keira Walsh is serving as captain for the Lionesses with Leah Williamson still sidelined. She shared these thoughts before this encounter:
Walsh steps up as England meet fresh challenge in battle of continental titleholders.
Maunch Appearance
The upcoming fixture will be Anna Moorhouse's maiden cap for England. She featured in the European Championship squad who won this past summer, but she did not feature with Hannah Hampton in the first-choice keeper position.
Recent Action
The opening match of the final of the Women’s Nations League occurred yesterday; get the details on all of the highlights:
Women’s Nations League: Spain’s Cata Coll stops Germany, leaving final outcome open.
Match Updates
Real-time coverage from the match will continue with major incidents and latest developments as the game progresses.
