ENGLAND WOMEN will take on Northern Ireland and Canada in their first friendlies since Phil Neville’s departure.
The matches will be the first internationals for the Lionesses since March 2020 and the first under new assistant coach Hege Riise.
The Lionesses are set to play their first international matches since the SheBelieves Cup in March 2020Credit: Getty Images – Getty
The team, who have not played a competitive game since the 2020 SheBelieves Cup, will take on both their opponents behind closed doors.
The friendly fixtures have been organised as part of the squad’s preparation for the Euros in 2022.
Their first game will be against Northern Ireland on February 23 at St George’s Park, with the second taking place against Canada on April 13.
And the last clash between England and Northern Ireland, which took place in 2008, ended in a 2-0 win for the Lionesses.
Former Captain Faye White and Fara Williams, who currently holds the record as the team’s most capped player, were both on target in that encounter.
Northern Ireland have enjoyed recent success on the international stage winning their last four Euro qualifying games.
And they made history by reaching the play-offs for the tournament for the first time ever in November.
A venue for England’s clash against Canada is yet to be confirmed.
The match will see the Lionesses taken on a team currently led by Bev Priestman who is a former assistant of Phil Neville
Hege Riise is set to lead the Lionesses in friendly games against Northern Ireland and CanadaCredit: AP:Associated Press
And the last encounter between the teams finished as a 1-0 win for Canada back in April 2019.
Both matches will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
And FA officials say they are continuing to work with the Government on safe return of fans to football grounds.
Lionesses in training
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
