England travel to Greece for a must-win clash in the Nations League tonight. Following a defeat at Wembley to the same opponents the Three Lions must triumph in Athens if they hope to automatically qualify for promotion.
Interim boss Lee Carsley takes charge of the national side for his final camp and will be hoping for a positive end to his time in charge of the senior side.
Carsley has already handed out a number of debuts during his time in charge and could yet give an opportunity to six uncapped members of the squad including Curtis Jones, Lewis Hall and Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
With quite a few players including Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka pulling out due to injury expect a somewhat unfamiliar looking line-up for tonight’s game with the defence and midfield in particular getting a shake up.
Follow all the action from the Nations League with our live blog below as England take on Greece:
Carsley expects ‘tough game’ against Greece
Lee Carsley says he is expecting the Three Lions to come up against a touch side in Greece when they clash in a crucial Nations League match tonight.
The interim boss said: “We’re expecting a tough game and it’s one we have to win. “But we’re really looking forward to it, we’ve had a good week’s training, the players are in good spirits and it’s going to be a sell out with a great atmosphere. “We’ve had to wait four or five weeks for this, but this next window is so important to us, not just tomorrow but Republic of Ireland as well, so it’s a great challenge for us.”
England have nine players drop out
England have had nine players drop out of the squad due to injury or recuperation leaving Lee Carsley with a difficult job against Greece.
The interim boss was adamant that the players who remain can get a win and that his focus has been on preparing for the game not managing those that dropped out.
Carsley said: “The focus all camp has been on the players that are here and it’s important that we make the most of this situation.
“With the amount of players that have pulled out, it gives other players an opportunity to be here. We’re really looking forward to the game and it’s going to be a tough test for us and the focus has been purely on the players that are here.
“With the amount of pull-outs we’ve had in the window, historically it’s been like that in the past – November has always been a challenging window – but the culture that Gareth, Steve and the rest of the lads created has made it a really positive environment and the players that are here thoroughly deserve to be here and they’re ready for the game.”
Carsley on Branthwaite’s fitness
With so many England players missing during this camp there is an opportunity for some of the younger members of the squad to make their mark.
One such player was Everton’s Jarrod Branthwaite though an injury means he misses out against Greece and has returned to Everton for his recovery.
Lee Carsley said: “We have tried to give Jarrad as long we can but he is probably going to miss out so Jarell [Quansah] will join the travelling party and take part in the rest of the camp.
“I think it’s really important that Jarrad hasn’t trained. He’s been treated for the last two or three days and it’s an issue that Everton will now take over when he goes back.”
Lee Carsley disputes Pep Guardiola claim over Jack Grealish’s fitness
What is the latest England team news?
Lee Carsley has already seen several injuries mount up, with right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, centre midfielder Declan Rice and winger Bukayo Saka being the most notable ones from the usual first-choice line-up.
Phil Foden, Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer, Jack Grealish and backup goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale are also all out, meaning Jarrod Bowen and Jarrad Branthwaite were called up as cover along with the uncapped Morgan Rogers and Tino Livramento.
The latter pair join James Trafford, Lewis Hall, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Curtis Jones in hoping to earn a first cap.
Branthwaite missed training on Tuesday and has since returned to Everton with Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah providing cover.
Where can I watch the match?
Greece vs England will be screened live on ITV1 and STV. It can be streamed via ITVX on compatible devices, as well as the STV Player.
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When is Greece vs England?
The clash takes place on Thursday 14 November with kick-off set for 7:45pm GMT.
Greece vs England
England head to Greece for an away clash in the Nations League on Thursday evening, with Lee Carsley hoping for a positive result after suffering a Wembley defeat to the same opponent last month.
There could well be new players handed a senior bow for the Three Lions this time out, with a total of six now in the squad who are so far uncapped, following a spate of injury withdrawals.
Curtis Jones, Lewis Hall and Taylor Harwood-Bellis were the trio originally included this time around without a cap to their name, but at the other end of the scale the likes of Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker and Harry Kane remain involved – all three with over 70 caps now and the captain past the century mark.
Even so it’ll be an unfamiliar lineup one way or another, with a further nine players in this squad having so far played between once and eight times for England at this level.
Good evening!
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Nations League action as England take on Greece in a match which will have consequences on Thomas Tuchel’s upcoming reign.
Interim boss Lee Carsley is in charge for two more matches and is tasked with securing promotion to the top tier of the Nations League. That means the Three Lions must defeat Greece tonight to have any hopes of winning their group.
We’ll bring you all the team news, line-ups and latest updates throughout the evening so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 7.45pm.