Live match preview – England vs Belgium Women 16.06.2022
England face their first pre-Women’s Euros test on Thursday when they take on Belgium at Molineux.
Sarina Wiegman named her final 23-player squad for the upcoming tournament on Wednesday and this week’s friendly is a chance for fans to see the squad in action.
Former captain Steph Houghton will not feature this summer, having struggled with an Achilles problem since January, while Chelsea striker Fran Kirby and Man City forward Chloe Kelly have both overcome respective injury troubles to take their place in Wiegman’s squad.
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Former England international Laura Bassett says Steph Houghton did everything she could to be selected in England’s Euro 2022 squad and will be hugely disappointed to miss out.
The match against Belgium – who will also feature at Euro 2022 – is the first of three friendlies before England kick off their home tournament against Austria at Old Trafford on July 6.
The Lionesses also face The Netherlands at Elland Road on June 24 before travelling to Switzerland for their concluding warm-up clash on June 30. Following the fixture in Zurich, the Lionesses will return to St George’s Park to put the finishing touches on preparations.
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Ahead of the Women’s Euros, Prince William joined the England squad to wish them well for the tournament and show off his shooting skills!
Will we have any indications on the starting XI against Austria?
Wiegman probably already has a keen idea of who she will start at Old Trafford on July 6 – but these friendlies will give her the chance to experiment, tinker and see who might stake their claim.
All three goalkeepers – Mary Earps, Ellie Roebuck and Hannah Hampton – are likely to feature during the friendlies, and expect to see each of the named 23 players given some minutes.
One of the most important aspects of these friendlies is testing England against better opposition. Despite a glut of goals under Wiegman so far, they have come against the likes of Latvia, North Macedonia and Luxembourg.
England were winners of the Arnold Clark Cup in March, testing themselves against better quality opposition
There were already positive signs during the Arnold Clark Cup in March – an invitational tournament organised by the FA – which was won by the Lionesses ahead of Olympic gold medallists Canada, Euro 2022 favourites Spain and international powerhouse Germany.
England are yet to lose a match under Wiegman – drawing just twice, although both in the Arnold Clark Cup – and it will be important to maintain that momentum heading into these matches. The Lionesses will be aiming for three victories but equally and perhaps more importantly, cohesive performances.
What about Belgium Women?
Tessa Wullaert is Belgium’s all-time leading goalscorer
Belgium have made steady improvement over the last decade or so. This summer represents their second major tournament appearance and their second successive European Championships.
The Red Flames finished third in their Euro 2017 group behind eventual champions The Netherlands and Denmark, and will be in a group with France, Italy and Iceland this time around.
The last time the two sides played each other was a 3-3 friendly draw in August 2019. England had led 2-0, but needed a late Nikita Parris penalty to secure the draw in a rocky patch of form after finishing fourth at that summer’s World Cup.
Ives Serneels has managed Belgium since 2011
Much like England, Belgium head into Thursday’s friendly and the Euros with plenty of experience in their ranks. Janice Cayman has 124 international caps and is second in the all-time scorers’ list (47) behind Tessa Wullaert, who has scored 65 goals in 106 caps.
It says a lot about the quality of Belgium’s squad that seven of their 10 all-time cap holders are current players, with two more having retired in the last three years.
Much of their improvement too has come under long-time manager Ives Serneels, who has coached the national team since 2011. He will be hoping to lead the Red Flames into the knockout rounds for the first time in their history this summer.
Follow Euro 2022 across Sky Sports
Keep up with all the latest from Euro 2022 across Sky Sports and Sky Sports News this summer.
Coverage will be anchored by Sky Sports WSL presenter Caroline Barker, alongside Jessica Creighton and Kyle Walker. Meanwhile, Karen Carney, Sue Smith, Courtney Sweetman-Kirk and Laura Bassett will give analysis throughout the tournament.
They will also be joined by experienced England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley and Manchester City defender Esme Morgan.
The pundits and presenters will work from the Sky Sports Women’s Euro 2022 Mobile Presentation Bus, which will follow the Sky Sports News team around the country to the various stadiums where matches are being played.
In addition, Sky Sports’ Essential Football Podcast will be rebranded for the tournament to Sky Sports Women’s Euros Podcast rom 21 June. Hosted by Charlotte Marsh and Anton Toloui, it will feature exclusive news and player interviews in addition to a strong programme line up around the tournament.
Euro 2022: The groups…
Group A: England, Austria, Norway, Northern Ireland
Group B: Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland
Group C: Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, Switzerland
Group D: France, Italy, Belgium, Iceland
Euro 2022: The schedule…
Group stage
Wednesday July 6
Group A: England vs Austria – kick off 8pm, Old Trafford
Thursday July 7
Group A: Norway vs Northern Ireland – kick off 8pm, St Mary’s
Friday July 8
Group B: Spain vs Finland – kick off 5pm, Stadium MK
Group B: Germany vs Denmark – kick off 8pm, London Community Stadium
Saturday July 9
Group C: Portugal vs Switzerland – kick off 5pm, Leigh Sports Village
Group C: Netherlands vs Sweden – kick off 8pm, Bramall Lane
Sunday July 10
Group D: Belgium vs Iceland – kick off 5pm, Manchester City Academy Stadium
Group D: France vs Italy – kick off 8pm, New York Stadium
Monday July 11
Group A: Austria vs Northern Ireland – kick off 5pm, St Mary’s
Group A: England v Norway – kick off 8pm, Brighton and Hove Community Stadium
Tuesday July 12
Group B: Denmark vs Finland – kick off 5pm, Stadium MK
Group B: Germany vs Spain – kick off 8pm, London Community Stadium
Wednesday July 13
Group C: Sweden vs Switzerland – kick off 5pm, Bramall Lane
Group C: Netherlands v Portugal – kick off 8pm, Leigh Sports Village
Thursday July 14
Group D: Italy vs Iceland – kick off 5pm, Manchester City Academy Stadium
Group D: France vs Belgium – kick off 8pm, New York Stadium
Friday July 15
Group A: Northern Ireland v England – kick off 8pm, St Mary’s
Group A: Austria vs Norway – kick off 8pm, Brighton and Hove Community Stadium
Saturday July 16
Group B: Finland vs Germany – kick off 8pm, Stadium MK
Group B: Denmark vs Spain – kick off 8pm, London Community Stadium
Sunday July 17
Group C: Switzerland vs Netherlands – kick off 5pm, Bramall Lane
Group C: Sweden vs Portugal – kick off 5pm, Leigh Sports Village
Monday July 18
Group D: Iceland vs France – kick off 8pm, New York Stadium
Group D: Italy vs Belgium – kick off 8pm, Manchester City Academy Stadium
Knockout phase
Quarter-finals
Wednesday July 20
Quarter-final 1: Winners Group A v Runners-up Group B – kick off 8pm, Brighton and Hove Community Stadium
Thursday July 21
Quarter-final 2: Winners Group B v Runners-up Group A – kick off 8pm, London Community Stadium
Friday July 22
Quarter-final 3: Winners Group C v Runners-up Group D – kick off 8pm, Leigh Sports Village
Quarter-final 4: Winners Group D v Runners-up Group C – kick off 8pm, New York Stadium
Semi-finals
Tuesday July 26
Semi-final 1: Winners quarter-final 1 v Winners quarter-final 3 – kick off 8pm, Bramall Lane
Wednesday July 27
Semi-final 2: Winners quarter-final 2 v Winners quarter-final 4 – kick-off 8pm, Stadium MK
Final
Sunday July 31
Winners semi-final 1 v Winners semi-final 2 – kick off 5pm, Wembley
