Sarina Wiegman’s England will look to get their FIFA Women’s World Cup preparations underway on Saturday, as the Lionesses host Portugal. As has become customary with these fixtures, the FA have opted to stage this clash away from Wembley Stadium – with Milton Keynes’ Stadium MK chosen as the venue.
England have enjoyed countless successes throughout Wiegman’s tenure as Head Coach, but will not be heading to Australia and New Zealand as favourites. Despite their success at last summer’s EUROs, consecutive Arnold Clark Cup victories and a stunning Finalissima win against Brazil, England have been dealt a harsh blow through injuries that now throws their ability to reach the latter stages of this tournament into question. Most notably, they’ll be without their trusted captain, Leah Williamson.
The Lionesses have tasted defeat just once under Sarina Wiegman, with Australia recording a 2-0 win at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium last time out. England will be looking to pounce on Portugal’s tumultuous form – the Selecção das Quinas bowed out in the group stage of last summer’s EUROs, before winning eight consecutive games. During April, they fell to defeat against Japan and were held to a draw against Wales – so it’s fair to say they’ll be looking to restore momentum ahead of the World Cup.
Team News
Throughout the summer, we’d expect Sarina Wiegman to utilise a similar lineup to those we’ve come to expect from the Dutchwoman, barring any changes due to injury. The return of Millie Bright is a positive although she won’t be available against Portugal, and Beth England’s inclusion in the squad offers versatility up front. Like Bright, Jordan Nobbs is also unavailable for selection on Saturday.
However, Wiegman is likely to use Saturday’s encounter as somewhat of an experiment, trialling varying tactics to establish her best eleven ahead of the trip to the Southern Hemisphere.
Francisco Neto’s final squad has been announced for Portugal’s debut at the FIFA Women’s World Cup – with Carole Costa, Ana Borges and Silvia Rebelo forming the foundations of a rock-solid defence. Jessica Silva is also included as the country’s star attacker, having lifted the Champions League with Lyon in 2019/20.
There’s also room for Francisca Nazareth, who is widely heralded as the future of women’s football in Portugal. She’s made 23 appearances for the national team, scoring six goals – a tally she’ll look to add to on Saturday and throughout the summer.
Predicted Lineups
England: Earps; Carter, Greenwood, Wubben-Moy, Bronze; Walsh, Stanway, Zelem; Toone; Daly, England
Portugal: Morais; L. Alves, Rebelo, Seiça, Borges; Jacinto, D. Silva, Pinto; Capeta, J. Silva, Nazareth
Where can I watch?
Kickoff at Stadium MK is at 3:15pm UK time on Saturday, 1 July 2023. The game will be shown live on ITV1 and ITV’s online streaming service. Alternatively, catch up on the action with our match report – it’ll be published just moments after the final whistle.
FromTheSpot will be bringing you coverage of every game throughout the FIFA Women’s World Cup, including previews and detailed reports. We’ll cover games in the buildup to the tournament too, so you can get a feel for the potential favourites ahead of action getting underway in Australia and New Zealand.
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