The Three Lions start their bid to reach Euro 2020 with a home tie against the Czech Republic and will be confident of picking up three points
England commence their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign on Friday when they welcome Czech Republic to Wembley Stadium.
Gareth Southgate’s men are unbeaten in their last five matches, having most recently beaten Croatia 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League in November.
The Three Lions will be confident of starting with a win as the favourites for the group, which also consists of Monday’s opponents Montenegro, Kosovo and Bulgaria.
| Game | England vs Czech Republic |
| Date | Friday, March 22 |
| Time | 7:45pm GMT / 3:45pm ET |
In the United States (US), the game will be broadcast on Univision Deportes En Vivo and can be livestreamed on the ESPNEWS platform.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Univision Deportes En Vivo | ESPNEWS |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be broadcast on ITV and can be streamed online via ITV’s website.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| ITV | ITV online |
| Position | England squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Butland, Pickford, Heaton |
| Defenders | Walker, Chilwell, Keane, Trippier, Tarkowski, Maguire, Rose |
| Midfielders | Dier, Henderson, Barkley, Alli, Rice, Ward-Prowse |
| Forwards | Kane, Sancho, Sterling, Wilson, Hudson-Odoi |
Borussia Dortmund forward Jadon Sancho makes his first competitive start for England at Wembley. The 18-year-old will likely line up alongside Raheem Sterling and captain Harry Kane in a 4-3-3 formation. Michael Keane, Harry Maguire, Jordan Henderson and Dele Alli also start in a side that shows five changes to the team that beat Croatia in the Three Lions’ last international in November. Declan Rice and Callum Hudson-Odoi, included in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the first time, are amongst the substitutes.
England starting XI: Pickford, Walker, Keane, Maguire, Chilwell, Henderson, Dier, Sancho, Alli, Sterling, Kane.
Subs: Trippier, Heaton, Rose, Tarkowski, Rice, Ward-Prowse, Barkley, Wilson, Hudson-Odoi, Butland.
| Position | Czech Republic squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Koubek, Pavlenka, Vaclik |
| Defenders | Coufal, Celustka, Gebre Selassie, Kaderabek, Kalas, Kudela, Novak, Suchy, Darida |
| Midfielders | Dockal, Jankto, Kral, Masopust, Pavelka, Soucek, Vydra, Zmrhal, Frydek |
| Forwards | Schick, Skoda |
Czech captain Borek Dockal is part of the squad but is still struggling with a gastrointestinal issue and is missing for the clash with the Three Lions.
Chelsea defender Tomas Kalas, currently on loan at Bristol City, is named in the starting XI. Burnley striker Matej Vydra is among the substitutes.
Czech Republic starting XI: Pavlenka: Kaderabek, Celustka, Kalas, Novak, Soucek, Pavelka, Gebre Selassie, Darida, Janko, Schick.
Subs: Kolar, Koubek, Coufal, Zmrhal, Dockal, Frydek, Masopust, Kral, Suchy, Kudela, Vydra, Skoda.
England are the odds-on favourites at 3/10 with bet365. Czech Republic are meanwhile at 12/1 while a draw is priced at 9/2.
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Gareth Southgate could be set to give 20-year-old midfielder Declan Rice and Chelsea’s coveted winger Callum Hudson-Odoi their England debuts on Friday after calling them up to the squad for the first time.
The absence of the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marcus Rashford deprives Southgate of two promising members of the squad, but the Three Lions have an impressive group of young stars to choose from heading into their Euro 2020 qualifying opener.
Jadon Sancho, still thriving for Borussia Dortmund, could start in attack for his fourth Three Lions appearance, while the likes of Ben Chilwell, Dele Alli, both 22, and Manchester City star Raheem Sterling available to play.
Southgate has no concerns about fielding a youthful team, suggesting both 18-year-olds Hudson-Odoi and Sancho could make the starting XI.
“People have asked what’s the selection policy? And it’s ability and mentality. In the end, the players have to have the quality to play in the shirt,” he said.
“Ideally, they will have played a few games for the clubs, but what we see is people in different positions, and there is no hesitation. We will play someone we think suitable. I have no hesitation to play him [Hudson-Odoi].
“I don’t see a lack of confidence in Jadon [either]. He is another super talent. There are so many coming through our system.
“We have to give credit to our club academies. We have loads of creative players. There is real competition for places. If players miss games, there is no guarantee they will get back in. It is a challenge for the group.”
The much-improved Three Lions are looking to build on their semi-final appearance at the 2018 World Cup. Although the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign may be just beginning for the exciting Three Lions squad, Sterling, 24, already has his eyes on the top prize.
“That’s the ultimate, lifting a trophy with England,” he told Sport360. “But we don’t want to get too carried away with ourselves.
“We still have to work hard, keep working with the players that we have now and the ones who are coming through – we have a massive chance.
“We had a great World Cup campaign, but hopefully we can do better. We came so close to winning it and I was confident we could win it.
“I had seen how we had gone through, how we were playing and even if I didn’t score, that was the most important thing for us.
“Forget about me on a personal level. To see the country go so far in the competition after so long, I was just happy to be a part of that.
“The next World Cup in Qatar is a long way away, but all I can do until then is get better, grow as a person, grow as a player, and when it comes around I’ll think about it at that moment.”
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