ENGLAND are taking on Finland in a huge Nations League clash RIGHT NOW.
The Three Lions will be aiming to bounce back after a woeful 2-1 loss to Greece on Thursday night.
Interim boss Lee Carsley has made six changes from the midweek defeat at Wembley, with captain Harry Kane returning to the starting line-up.
And Jordan Pickford has been replaced by Crystal Palace shot-stopper Dean Henderson.
- TV channel: ITV1
- FREE live stream: ITVX
- Finland team: Hradecky, Alho, Hoskonen, Ivanov, Uronen, Kamara, Schuller, Peltola, Jensen, Kallman, Keskinen
- England team: Henderson, Walker, Stones, Guehi, Alexander-Arnold, Angel Gomes, Rice, Bellingham, Palmer, Grealish, Kane
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Follow our live blog below…
Finland 0-0 England
2. Finland have lined up in a back five, with a flat midfield four in front.
The hosts are happy for England to have the ball, with Bellingham and Grealish already linking up down the left.
KO: Finland 0-0 England
1. England get the match underway in Helsinki.
Players in the tunnel
We are now just moments away from kick-off, with the players in the tunnel.
A lights show is ongoing at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki to welcome the teams onto the pitch.
Line-up twist
A potential change to the expected England line-up in Helsinki.
The official team-sheet has the Three Lions lining up in a 4-2-1-3 formation.
Meanwhile, it is Kyle Walker at left-back instead of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Carsley’s pre-match thoughts
Speaking to ITV ahead of the match, Lee Carlsey explains: “We are looking for a reaction, we fell below the levels we expect.
“There was a case of getting a look at a few other players and we were always going to look at Dean Henderson in one of these games.
“Trent Alexander-Arnold is multi versatile and his role will be slightly different to a conventional left back.
“We haven’t won anything since 1966 and so we have to try something different.”
England under Carsley
Tonight’s clash with Finland will be England’s fourth during Lee Carsley’s interim reign.
Here is how they have fared so far under the under-21 boss:
- September 7 – Republic of Ireland 0-2 England
- September 10 – England 2-0 Finland
- October 10 – England 1-2 Greece
England substitutes
Following the withdrawals of Bukayo Saka and Curtis Jones, Lee Carsley is only able to name 11 substitutes this afternoon.
His options on the bench are:
England subtitutes
- Jordan Pickford
- Nick Pope
- Rico Lewis
- Phil Foden
- Anthony Gordon
- Conor Gallagher
- Levi Colwill
- Tino Livramento
- Ollie Watkins
- Dominic Solanke
- Noni Madueke
Finland starting line-up
Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky captains Finland in Helsinki after frustrating England for much of the reverse fixture.
Former Leeds and Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara also starts for the hosts.
Here is how they line-up this afternoon.
Starting XI: Hradecky; Alho, Hoskonen, Ivanov, Uronen; Kamara, Schuller, Peltola; Jensen, Kallman, Keskinen
Subs: Joronen, Sinisalo, Galvez, Antman, Lod, Pukki, Stahl, Pikkarainen, Tenho, Nissila, Pohjanpalo, Walta
England starting line-up
Lee Carsley makes six changes from the loss to Greece as Harry Kane returns from injury.
Jack Grealish, Angel Gomes, Marc Guehi and Kyle Walker also come into the side.
There is a change in goal as well, with Dean Henderson replacing Jordan Pickford for just his second England cap.
New role for Trent?
Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to start at left-back for England today.
The Liverpool man started in his natural right-back position against Greece in midweek.
Alexander-Arnold was regularly used in midfield during Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions tenure.
Nations League standings
England trail Greece by three points following their defeat on Thursday.
Here are the standings in Nations League Group B2 ahead of today’s matches.
England record vs Finland
England have never lost to tonight’s opponents, with the Three Lions failing to win just two of their 12 meetings with Finland.
Lee Carsley oversaw a 2-0 win at Wembley back in September in the Nations League.
England record vs Finland
Meetings: 12
Wins: 10
Draws: 2
Losses: 0
Last five meetings:
- May 1985 – Finland 1-1 England
- June 1992 – Finland 1-2 England
- October 2000 – Finland 0-0 England
- March 2001 – England 2-1 Finland
- September 2024 – England 2-0 Finland
England team news
Harry Kane is fit to return for England in Finland this evening.
The Bayern Munich striker missed the defeat to Greece through injury.
Jack Grealish is also available, but Bukayo Saka and Curtis Jones have both withdrawn from the squad.
Welcome
Welcome to SunSport’s live blog for Finland vs England.
The Three Lions travel to Helsinki in the Nations League this afternoon looking to bounce back from their loss to Greece.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk