The Lionesses return to playing on home soil for the first time since their historic Euros win when they face Luxembourg this evening. The 2023 Women’s World Cup qualifier is being played at a sold-out bet365 Stadium, the home of Stoke City FC.
Following the teams qualification for next years tournament against Austria at the weekend, UEFA Coach of the Year Sarina Weigman wants to make the game a celebration.
“It’s really exciting and the support we have had has been great. We really want to show our game and make a celebration,” Weigman said when speaking to the media ahead of the match.
“This team is so eager to do well. I expect a very energetic team that really wants to show and with lots of goals and of course conceding none,” she added.
After playing the same starting 11 in all six games during the Euros Weigman has confirmed that there will be changes tomorrow, but there are some new faces back in the team. The retirement of Jill Scott and Ellen White has made way for young talent to break into the squad. Ebony Salmon returns for the first time since September 2021 and Chelsea’s Lauren James earnt her first cap against Austria at the weekend.
“It has been a different week. Ebony was in our camp last September, it has been a year so we can see some difference now, she’s now a year further into development. For Lauren, it was the first time she has been in the England squad with me.”
In the last encounter between the teams, England ran out 10-0 winners, so fans in Stoke could be in for another high-scoring affair. However, there is a noticeable difference in the quality of the 2 sides.
Weigman said: “We want to be in possession as much as possible because their level compared to ours, there is a big difference. We want to create many chances and score lots of goals.”
Kick-off for this fixture is at 7:30 pm, with a sold-out crowd of 30,000 set to be in attendance. Anyone not at the game can watch the match on ITV, with coverage starting at 7 pm.
Photo: @Lionesses
