Home Politics England vs Sweden LIVE: Lionesses team news and line-ups ahead of Euro 2025 qualifier at Wembley

England vs Sweden LIVE: Lionesses team news and line-ups ahead of Euro 2025 qualifier at Wembley

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England vs Sweden LIVE: Lionesses team news and line-ups ahead of Euro 2025 qualifier at Wembley

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Sarina Wiegman says Leah Williamson is ‘excited’ to come back ahead of Euro 2025 qualifier against Sweden

England take on Sweden at Wembley tonight in the first match of their qualifying campaign to reach the European Championships in 2025.

As the defending champions, England’s route to Euro 2025 will not be as straightforward as their comfortable World Cup qualifying path, that included a 20-0 humiliation of Latvia.

After a change to the qualifying format, the Lionesses will take on France, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland in order to claim one of two automatic qualification spots in Group A3.

England’s Euro defence begins at Wembley, the scene of their historic Euro 2022 victory, and with a rematch against Sweden. The Lionesses thrashed Sweden 4-0 in the Euro 2022 semi-finals, but they can be difficult to beat and finished third at last summer’s World Cup.

Follow all the live action from the Lionesses match at Wembley in the blog below

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Is England vs Sweden on TV? Channel, kick-off time and how to watch Lionesses tonight

Ahead of the coverage starting at 7:30pm, a reminder of how you can watch tonight’s game.

England have managed to land in the ‘group of death’ in qualifying and will compete for two automatic spots along with Sweden, France and the Republic of Ireland.

The match will kick off at 8pm BST at Wembley. It will be shown on ITV 1 and online on ITV X, with coverage starting at 7:30pm.

Chris Wilson5 April 2024 19:28

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Team news

So England have made one change from the team that beat Italy 5-1.

Lauren James come back into the team, and she replaces Chloe Kelly. Grace Clinton retains her midfield spot after an impressive debut, while Leah Williamson is named in a match-day squad for the first time in a year.

ENGLAND SUBS: Carter, Hampton, Toone, Williamson, Kelly, Mead, Kirby, Daly, Park, Rendell, Morgan, Turner.

Chris Wilson5 April 2024 19:14

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Sweden line-up

Here’s how the visitors line-up!

SWEDEN XI: Falk; Lundkvist, Sembrant, Eriksson, Andersson; Angeldahl, Asllani, Olme; Kaneryd, Blackstenius, Rolfo.

Chris Wilson5 April 2024 19:04

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England vs Sweden team news

Leah Williamson is not fit enough to start as the captain returns to the bench, with Keira Walsh instead leading the side tonight.

Lotte Wubben-Moy partners Alex Greenwood in defence, while Grace Clinton makes her second England start in midfield.

The front three sees Alessia Russo start up front with Lauren Hemp and Lauren James on the wings.

And there’s lots of attacking firepower on the bench, with Beth Mead, Rachel Daly, Chloe Kelly, Fran Kirby, Ella Toone and Jess Park all options.

(The FA via Getty Images)

Jamie Braidwood5 April 2024 18:58

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Team news! Leah Williamson on the bench

England XI: Earps; Bronze, Wubben-Moy, Greenwood, Charles; Walsh, Stanway, Clinton; Hemp, Russo, James

Jamie Braidwood5 April 2024 18:52

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Lionesses arrive at Wembley

(The FA via Getty Images)
(The FA via Getty Images)

Jamie Braidwood5 April 2024 18:50

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Head-to-head

England actually have a poor record against Sweden despite the recent high-profile wins.

The two sides have met 16 times throughout their histories, with Sweden winning a remarkable nine of these meetings.

Four have ended in a draw, with the other three, including their most recent, ending in an England win.

Sweden last beat the Lionesses in the third-place match at the Women’s World Cup in 2019.

Chris Wilson5 April 2024 18:40

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How the teams are faring

England come into this game in fine form, having won four of their last five games, including convincing 7-2 and 6-0 wins against Austria and Scotland respectively. Their last loss came against Belgium in the UEFA Nations Women’s League – a shock 3-2 defeat that contributed to the team falling short of the competition’s knockout phases.

Sweden, on the other hand, start their qualifying campaign off the back of some mixed form. They recently beat Bosnia & Herzegovina 5-0 in back-to-back Nations League games, but before that lost 5-3 to Spain and 1-0 to Switzerland after a 1-1 draw with Italy in the same tournament.

Both teams have performed well in recent major tournaments too, with England losing the 2023 Women’s World Cup Final 1-0 to Spain and Sweden losing to the same opposition in the semi-finals. When the two sides met at Euro 2022, England triumphed 4-0 at the semi-final on their way to winning the trophy.

Chris Wilson5 April 2024 18:25

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Steph Houghton: An ‘icon’ of the game retires

Some of the most pertinent recent news surrounding the England team comes from Steph Houghton’s announcement that she will be retiring from football at the end of the season.

The Manchester City defender, who last played for England in 2021, made 121 appearances for her country and captained the side on numerous occasions.

And while the announcement of her decision to retire from football might have been low-key, the impact she has left on the game was not.

She was the sole survivor from City’s first professional team which launched a decade ago and her 20-year career not only spanned four clubs, Sunderland, Leeds, Arsenal and Manchester City, but also the rapid professionalisation of the sport.

“Steph is – without question – an icon of the game,” City manager Gareth Taylor said.

Chris Wilson5 April 2024 18:10

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Expected England line-up

England XI: Earps; Bronze, Williamson, Greenwood, Charles; Walsh, Stanway, Clinton; Mead, Hemp, James.

Chris Wilson5 April 2024 17:55

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