England continue their UEFA Nations League campaign when the Three Lions host Greece on Thursday night.
Both teams have maximum points from two games played in this top-of-the-table clash, with Greece sitting ahead of England on goal difference.
Lee Carsley continues his reign as interim boss of England and will be looking to maintain the perfect start to his tenure.
England have been boosted with Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden all available after missing September’s internationals, providing Carsley with a depth of attacking talent to choose from. There’s also been a first inclusion in seven years for Dominic Solanke, who won his sole cap for England in November 2017.
England vs Greece – Match Preview and team news
Form
England: DWLWW
England began life after Gareth Southgate with successive 2-0 wins during September’s international break. Early goals from Declan Rice and Jack Grealish saw the Three Lions ease to victory over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin before Finland were beaten by the same scoreline three days later.
Harry Kane scored both goals against Finland, celebrating his 100th cap with his 67th and 68th goals for the national team.
Hard graft ahead of Greece 💪 pic.twitter.com/Q5GxzYVhXP
— England (@England) October 9, 2024
The results saw England bounce back from defeat in the Euro 2024 final to Spain, a second successive loss in the European Championship decider. Carsley has freshened things up in the squad since succeeding Southgate on an interim basis and Angel Gomes and Noni Madueke are back in the squad after debuts last month. The uncapped Curtis Jones and Tino Livramento are also part of the squad, alongside the return of the aforementioned Solanke.
Greece: DLWWW
Three consecutive wins have increased optimism around Greece, who are also under new management. Ivan Jovanović has a 100% record from his two games in charge, with Greece securing wins over Finland (3-0) and the Republic of Ireland (2-0) without conceding a goal to move top of the group.
There are familiar names in the Greece backline including Newcastle goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, Liverpool left-back Kostas Tsimikas and West Ham defender Konstantinos Mavropanos. Greece will be without Fotis Ioannidis, however, who has scored three times in two Nations League games.
Jovanović’s task will be taking the 2004 European champions back into tournament football. Greece have not qualified for a major tournament since the 2014 World Cup.
Last Meeting
England 4-0 Greece, August 16th 2006
Peter Crouch was on target twice as England made a perfect start under new boss Steve McClaren. The former assistant had replaced Sven-Goran Eriksson after the summer’s World Cup and saw his side score four first-half goals to rout Greece at Old Trafford.
John Terry marked his first appearance as captain with a headed opener before Chelsea teammate Frank Lampard doubled the advantage with a deflected effort. Crouch capitalised on a rebound to score his first of the night five minutes later and headed in a second before the break.
Predicted Lineups
England: Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Stones, Colwill, Lewis; Rice, Bellingham; Saka, Palmer, Grealish; Watkins.
Greece: Vlachodimos; Rota, Mavropanos, Koulierakis, Tsimikas; Siopis, Kourbelis; Masouras, Bakasetas, Tzolis; Pavlidis
Who is the referee?
Andrea Colombo (Italy).
What channel is England vs Greece?
The England v Greece game will be shown live on ITV1.
What time is kick off?
England vs Greece will kick off at 19:45 BST on Thursday 10th October 2024.
Odds
England – 27/100
Draw – 9/2
Greece – 9/1
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