Gareth Southgate will lead his Three Lions against Iceland at Wembley as their final friendly clash before Euro 2024. Even though England have never lost to them before, a friendly defeat could still hurt.
Cole Palmer missed several early second-half opportunities while Harry Kane has not lived up to his usual standards of play, prompting boos at full time as justifiable punishment for an underwhelming display.
In this article, we will discuss the main points or high lights of England National Football Team vs Iceland National Football Team Lineups.
England XI vs Iceland
Gareth Southgate has named an impressive squad for England’s final warm-up game before Euro 2024, including star striker Harry Kane who will start at Wembley Stadium. Southgate will hope that Kane can gain some valuable minutes before facing Serbia next weekend in Gelsenkirchen.
Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson’s goal gave Iceland a convincing win against England at Wembley Stadium, with England only managing one shot on target all night despite their previous 3-0 triumph against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Many may have been disappointed with this outcome after hearing of their previous success against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
England were noticeably subpar throughout, and it was evident why. Their defensive issues remain an area of serious concern as space opened up that should never have been allowed, with players missing tackles and allowing in dangerous crosses.
Fans were especially disgruntled by Declan Rice and Kobbie Mainoo’s inability to control the midfield, with Iceland passing the ball confidently and finding pockets of space easily.
Southgate may opt for some changes during tonight’s match against Nordic nations, with Jordan Pickford set to remain in goal. He must remain at his peak performance throughout Euro 2024; therefore it would not come as a shock if Pickford kept his starting place.
Kyle Walker will likely replace Ezri Konsa at right-back, with Newcastle player Kyle Walker providing some cover for Trippier on the left flank. Cole Palmer and Phil Foden are competing to fill Phil Foden’s spot as left midfielders on Manchester City, having an understanding of each other’s games.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Bukayo Saka may feature as well; Arsenal full-back Alexander-Arnold excelled during his return from injury while Liverpool teenage midfielder Saka has impressed during pre-season play. Together they face an in-form Icelandic side who could prove difficult opposition.
England XI vs Bosnia & Herzegovina
Gareth Southgate was disappointed with how England started on Tyneside on Monday, but an outstanding second half saw them claim a convincing 3-0 victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Now England have four warm-up games scheduled before they kick off their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia at Gelsenkirchen on 16 June.
Southgate still needs to reduce his squad from 33 to 26, giving players like Jack Grealish, Cole Palmer, Eberechi Eze, Jordan Henderson, James Maddison, Kobbie Mainoo an opportunity to gain more game time. Southgate could opt for keeping Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield while Kyle Walker could step in at right back for Ezri Konsa who is injured.
Manchester United defender Eric Bailly is an integral part of England’s setup, but was unexpectedly left out of their starting XI against Bosnia. Bailly could make a comeback against Iceland though and may form an effective centre-back pairing with Tottenham Hotspur’s Kieran Trippier in time for summer tournament.
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Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon have not fully recovered, thus ruling them out from selection for France. Ivan Toney could provide an indicator that his 23-year-old winger has done enough to secure his place on the plane to France.
England will wear their white kit during their international friendly against Iceland, which begins at 7:45pm at Wembley Stadium on Friday. Below you can keep up to date with all of the action with commentary provided by Malik Ouzia and Dan Kilpatrick of Standard Sport, with our match tracker keeping up with every play while our guide outlines how you can watch England vs Iceland globally – subscribers in the UK can also access Channel 4 apps and websites; DAZN in Canada and Optus Sport Australia provide streaming options; Subscribers overseas can access these streaming services.
England XI vs Slovakia
Gareth Southgate has shown remarkable restraint when selecting his team to face Slovakia in their Euro 2024 last-16 match. Instead, Southgate decided to keep faith with the one that started against Group C winners Denmark even though there have been calls for key figures like Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham to be dropped.
Manchester United have made one change to their side which defeated Slovenia 2-1 at Wembley; Kobbie Mainoo will replace Conor Gallagher who is injured and start alongside Declan Rice in midfield, alongside Jordan Pickford who maintains his spot as goalkeeper.
England will require a strong defensive performance against Iceland’s Vikings side, who caused shockwaves at Euro 2016 by upsetting host nation France to advance in the first knockout round. They hope to repeat that feat against an England side that has not shown promise yet in this tournament.
Iceland are now one of Europe’s premier footballing nations thanks to their remarkable run at the European Championship, while their efforts could lead them closer to reaching a major tournament’s quarter-finals than ever before. This game marks a pivotal moment for Iceland.
Iceland will face England with all their attacking power put to the test by their Viking defence in this highly-anticipated match, who have conceded only two goals from four matches so far in this competition and been impressively defensive. Iceland have conceded only two goals to England thus far and look set for an intriguing encounter in Iceland’s back line.
Attack has been less impressive; England have struggled in their opening two games and failed to score. That is why this match will likely be thrilling as both teams strive for improvement on current performances; Wembley stadium will host this crucial encounter on 7 June at 7.45pm with live coverage available via Channel 4, Twitter, Facebook and a replay available on demand on BBC Sport website.
England XI vs Croatia
After an inauspicious start to their World Cup qualifying campaign, England face their Euro 2016 foe in Wembley this Friday as a warm-up game for Euro 2024 qualifying. Gareth Southgate will hope his side can improve upon their disjointed performance against Northern Ireland and regain the form that saw them beat Bosnia 3-0 Monday evening.
That means reverting back to an established starting XI, likely featuring captain Harry Kane and Manchester United teammate Raheem Sterling alongside Callum Wilson after they scored on debut against Bosnia. Manchester City midfielder Dele Alli will likely also start, while Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson may make way for Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
England’s defensive fragilities were on full display against Bosnia, and they will need to address these if they want to avoid another crushing defeat in their opening fixture against Croats at Wembley on Sunday. That will not be easy given that John Stones and Marc Guehi may remain injured for quite some time.
Southgate may opt to select Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Leicester City centre-back Aymeric Laporte instead, along with Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs as potential center-backs, although his fitness will need to be proven before this game takes place.
On the flipside, Harry Maguire should return for this match and provide an invaluable boost for England in defense. Everton centre-back Michael Keane could even take up Lewis Dunk’s spot going forward.
Iceland will be missing two of their key attacking threats – Genoa striker Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Brentford’s Alfred Finnbogason will likely be most disappointing to coach Heimir Hareide who may feel they have lost one of his top strikers – but should still possess enough quality to be an effective threat against an under-strength England side.
