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Published on Oct, 10 2024
Group B2 of the Nations League is heating up, the two unbeaten sides facing off at Wembley Stadium as England welcome Greece for what could be a battle for promotion. The Three Lions will know that even being in the second rung of this competition is a matter for supreme embarrassment and the reality is Lee Carsley will be expected to win and win well as he auditions for the England job on a permanent basis.
Greece, however, are not to be taken lightly and have got sufficiently impressive wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland that it is they who top the table at the two-game mark. However Ivan Jovanovic's side will have to do without the star of those wins, Panathinaikos striker Fotis Ioannidis unable to add to the three goals he already has in the Nations League with injury having ruled him out of the squad. Here is everything you need to know about Thursday's game:
England: With Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer all back in the squad, the latter in the form of his life, there is a gaudy abundance of riches for Lee Carsley to try to fit into advanced midfield roles as he battles with the few injuries that have cropped up. The most notable of those are to Harry Kane and Jack Grealish, both of whom may be kept in reserve with Finland still to come during the international break.
A greater challenge comes in defense, where Carsley was unable to field a natural left back in his squad. Rico Lewis and Levi Colwill could both come into contention while Tino Livramento, a late addition to the group alongside Curtis Jones, may also be in the mix.
Possible England XI: Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Stones, Guehi, Colwill; Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Palmer, Gordon; Watkins
Greece: Though Ioannidis' absence will surely be keenly felt it will also present a chance for one of Europe's best scorers in recent years to translate his form to the international stage. Vangelis Pavlidis left AZ Alkmaar for Benfica in the summer having scored 80 goals in 137 games but for his nation, his return is a more prosaic six in 40.
This squad will include several names who might be familiar to the Wembley crowd. Konstantinos Mavropanos and Kostas Tsimikas are Premier League regulars while Odysseas Vlachodimos made a move from Nottingham Forest to Newcastle in the summer, albeit a high-profile move due to the sizeable transfer fee rather than the goalkeeper himself. Christos Tzolis, who scored for Club Brugge in the Champions League, could also be a danger man up against Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Possible Greece XI: Vlachodimos; Rota, Mavropanos, Koulierakis, Tsimikas; Siopis, Kourbelis; Masouras, Bakasetas, Tzolis; Pavlidis
England really should win this ... and win well too. PICK: England 3, Greece 0
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