England Faces Squad Challenges Ahead of Nations League Clash with Greece

Lee Carsley, the interim manager for the England national football team, faces a series of squad challenges ahead of their UEFA Nations League match against Greece at Wembley Stadium. The fixture, scheduled for Thursday, sees England potentially leapfrogging Greece to take the top spot in Group B2 with a win.

Harry Kane, the team’s captain, sustained an injury during Bayern Munich‘s 3-3 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt over the weekend. Although Kane joined the England squad at St George’s Park for assessment, he is not expected to play against Greece. However, he is anticipated to be fit for the upcoming match against Finland in Helsinki on Sunday. All other squad members participated fully in Tuesday’s training session.

In additional setbacks, defenders Ezri Konsa, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Kobbie Mainoo withdrew from the squad due to injuries sustained during their club duty in the Premier League. The Football Association confirmed that these players would not be replaced, leaving Dominic Solanke poised to potentially make his first international appearance since 2017.

Carsley announced plans for an experimental lineup, possibly utilizing players in unconventional positions. In his press conference, he suggested that Chelsea playmaker Trent Alexander-Arnold could fill the left-back role despite being a right-back by trade. This sentiment was echoed by talkSPORT co-host Alan Brazil and Arsenal‘s Ray Parlour, who advocated for starting Cole Palmer in a challenging role despite his primary position further up the field.

The expected formation is a 4-2-3-1 setup with Jordan Pickford likely guarding the goal. John Stones and Marc Guehi are expected to form a central defensive partnership. Declan Rice and Angel Gomes might be selected for the midfield pivot, a pairing that Carsley used in the previous 2-0 victory over Finland.

Among attacking options, Carsley could opt to rest Kane, with Ollie Watkins available to lead the attack instead of Dominic Solanke. Set to feature on the wings are Bukayo Saka, one goal shy of becoming Arsenal’s all-time top scorer for England, and Anthony Gordon, seeking his first international goal.