England are missing two defenders for tonight’s friendly against Iceland, with Luke Shaw and Lewis Dunk both on the sidelines.
The meeting with their Euro 2016 conquerors at Wembley is the Three Lions’ final match before they begin their Euro 2024 campaign against Group C rivals Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on June 16.
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Southgate cut his squad down from 33 provisional names to the final 26 earlier than expected on Thursday evening, ahead of Friday’s official Uefa deadline.
James Maddison, Jack Grealish, Jarrad Branthwaite, James Trafford and Curtis Jones were all cut, as was injured centre-back Harry Maguire.
Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah was also dropped from the squad but, unlike the others, has remained in camp and could still feature against Iceland.
Southgate explained on Thursday that he believed a 26-man squad has room for “one gamble” over fitness, and that player proved to be Manchester United left-back Shaw, who has not played since February due to a hamstring injury.
Shaw is still working his way back so will play no part against Iceland, nor in the Serbia clash nine days later. Brighton’s Dunk is also out for the Wembley game but will join full training next week.
Southgate said: “Everybody else is available. Harry [Kane] could play 90 minutes, though not sure he will.”
It had been thought that the game could come too early for both wingers Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka, but the former starts and the latter is on the bench.
Kane starts after his goalscoring cameo off the bench against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Newcastle on Monday night, taking back the captaincy from Kieran Trippier after a back issue that ended his season at Bayern Munich a couple of games early.
The likes of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and Kobbie Mainoo are also back after joining up with the squad late following their involvement in the FA Cup and Champions League finals, though Bellingham will not be involved tonight. Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale will hope to impress in goal.
Confirmed team news
England: Ramsdale, Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier, Mainoo, Rice, Palmer, Foden, Gordon, Kane
Subs: Henderson, Gomez, Gallagher, Toney, Watkins, Alexander-Arnold, Bowen, Eze, Pickford, Wharton, Saka, Quansah, Trafford
Iceland: Valdimarsson, Bjarkason, Gretarsson, Ingason, Finnsson, Traustason, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Arnar Haraldsson, Gudjohnsen, Thorsteinsson, Anderson
Subs: Elias Olafsson, Patrik Gunnarsson, Sampsted, Thorarinsson, Brynjar Ingi Bjarnason, Arnor Sigurdsson, Fridriksson, Johannesson, Saevar Magnusson, Hlynsson, Tomasson, Pordarson
Venue: Wembley Stadium
Date and time: 7:45pm BST on Friday June 7, 2024
TV channel and live stream: Channel 4
