Which squad will England use to play Ireland in the Nations League?

Overview

Ireland have not been in good form recently. In their last 6 matches, they have lost 3 and drawn 2. Notably, Ireland have failed to score in 4 of those matches. In early July, coach Heimir Hallgrimsson was appointed to improve the team's situation.

On the other side of the front line, England passed the EURO 2024 group stage with the top spot in Group C. After that, the "Three Lions" defeated Slovakia, Switzerland and the Netherlands to enter the final for the second consecutive time.

However, they lost to an excellent Spain and had to settle for second place. After the tournament in Germany, coach Gareth Southgate also said goodbye to the England team.

In the 2022-2023 Nations League, England did not play well and fell to League B. Therefore, they aim to win a place back in League A and a good result in the opening match against Ireland will help boost their confidence.

With a quality squad in all three lines, England is certainly rated much higher than Ireland. The "Three Lions" also defeated their opponents 3-0 in the most recent clash in 2020. Therefore, it is likely that 3 points will belong to coach Lee Carsley's team.

Human resources situation

England were without a number of notable faces at September's FIFA Days. Kieran Trippier has retired, while Kyle Walker is absent for personal reasons. Cole Palmer and Phil Foden are also absent. Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is injured.

Carsley has called up four new players for this training session, including Tino Livramento, Noni Madueke, Angel Gomes and Morgan Gibbs-White.

On the other side of the front line, Ireland also had many changes in the squad compared to the most recent training session, in which Shane Duffy and Enda Stevens were absent.

Expected lineup:

Ireland : Kelleher, Coleman, O'Shea, Collins, Brady, Ogbene, Browne, Smallbone, O'Dowda, Ferguson, Idah.

England : Pickford, Alexander-Arnold, Stones, Maguire, Colwill, Rice, Mainoo, Saka, Eze, Gordon, Kane.