23 players will be selected to represent England at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup by Sarina Wiegman today.
Wiegman will answer a number of unresolved questions posed by Lionesses' fans at 2pm on Wednesday afternoon, when her squad for the tournament will be revealed. Unlike the Euros last summer, the Dutch coach will not name a long list and trim down her roster close to the tournament.
Instead she will name the final list from the off, to be submitted to FIFA, which must include three goalkeepers. It is expected England also name a couple of players on standby duty. Leah Williamson is one notable absentee, with the Lionesses' skipper still recovering from an ACL injury she suffered whilst playing for Arsenal last month.
One of England's most gifted attacking players, Chelsea No.10 Fran Kirby w ill also miss the finals through injury. But there is still plenty of tough calls for Wiegman to make in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. England kick off their World Cup campaign by facing Haiti in Brisbane on July 22, before taking on Denmark and China in Group D.
Here are five big calls she will make today.
Is Beth Mead risk worth it?
Beth Mead is also expected to miss out on the World Cup finals, having not played for club or country since November last year when she ruptured her ACL during Arsenal's 3-2 defeat against Man Utd. But she hasn't been formally ruled out.
Wiegman said during the last international window that it wasn't time to shut the door on Mead's chances yet and the gap between the end of the WSL and the start of the World Cup may just about give her a slim chance.
But make no mistake, it would be a humongous gamble to take a player who hasn't kicked a football in anger in almost nine months (by the time the tournament starts). Famously Sven-Goran Eriksson took an unfit Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen to the men's World Cup in 2006 and it backfired spectacularly. Wiegman is less likely to see the worth a gamble, but Mead's recovery is thought to be going well. Watch this space.
Could Houghton get a recall?
With Williamson out and Millie Bright in a race against time to prove her fitness, England have started to look slightly short at centre-half. Bright should make the initial squad, with Chelsea boss Emma Hayes giving positive updates in recent weeks, on the proviso she can always be replaced by a reserve closer to the tournament if she doesn't make it.
Alex Greenwood and Maya Le Tissier have both shone in the WSL for both Manchester clubs respectively this season and offer Wiegman decent options at the back. But the Lionesses will still need to take at least one more out and out centre half.
This opened up the possibility of a recall for former captain Steph Houghton, who hasn't featured since before the Euros last summer. But Wiegman seemed to play down talk of her return in April, saying she had a number of the players in that position who "she didn't want to take out" of the squad. Williamson's injury may force her hand, but I'd expect to instead select either Esme Morgan or Lotte Wubben-Moy as a back-up.
How many forwards will go Down Under?
After 22 goals in an outstanding WSL campaign, Wiegman seems to be coming around to selecting Rachel Daly as a forward rather than a left-back, where she played during the Euros. Even so only one other central forward was named in the last England squad - Man Utd's Alessia Russo.
With Lauren James, Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly nailed on to go as wide forwards, the question is whether the manager will choose another wide player or a more of a centre forward. Wiegman could pick both but that would leave the squad slightly unbalanced.
If she chooses the latter, Bethany England may still have hope of a recall despite not having played for the Lionesses since September's win over Luxembourg. England has hit 12 goals in as many games since she left Chelsea to join Spurs in January, primarily for first team football. But would Wiegman suddenly trust a player who never got off the bench during the Euros and has barely featured since?
If she instead selects another wide forward, as is expected, Brighton youngster Katie Robinson should have the edge on Nikita Parris, despite a strong finish to the season from the United player.
Do England have enough quality in goal?
Mary Earps and Ellie Roebuck are almost certain to be on the plane to Australia and it would be a major shock if either were left out. But both have seen their form dip in recent months. Earps' howler in the Finalissima meant England had to win via a penalty shootout, although she did then redeem herself as the Lionesses triumphed. Another error in the recent Manchester derby nearly cost United.
In the same game, Roebuck was sent off for a rash challenge after leaving her penalty area, having also had a poor game when City were beaten at Liverpool two weeks before. This means the race to be third choice is far more important than we all previously thought.
Sandy MacIver is out injured, leaving Emily Ramsey and Aston Villa stopper Hannah Hampton as the chief contenders. Both have had strong WSL campaigns, but Hampton may get the nod as she has major tournament experience from the Euros last summer.
Will Coombs or Nobbs complete dream international return?
In midfield, both Georgia Stanway and Keira Walsh will have been two of the first names on the plane, after both were crucial to winning the European Championship last summer. Walsh still has the Women's Champions League final to play for Barcelona, but they will both be joined by Katie Zelem after her impressive season as skipper at Man Utd.
Wiegman will still need at least one more player capable of doing a job in the middle of the park. Jordan Nobbs agonisingly missed out on the last World Cup through injury, when she was a regular for then manager Phil Neville. But her move to Aston Villa in January has seen her return to top form and she featured in the last two Lionesses' squads.
Laura Coombs had an even longer break from the international scene, before her outstanding form in Man City's midfield saw her win a recall. Having last played for England in October 2015, she returned in February for the successful Arnold Clark Cup campaign.
Both offer good options, but Wiegman probably only needs to take one to Australia.
Jack Lacey-Hatton's Predicted 23-player England World Cup squad;
Goalkeepers: Mary Earps, Hannah Hampton, Ellie Roebuck
Defenders: Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright, Alex Greenwood, Jess Carter, Maya Le Tissier, Niamh Charles, Esme Morgan, Lotte Wubben-Moy
Midfielders: Georgia Stanway, Keira Walsh, Ella Toone, Laura Coombs, Jess Park, Katie Zelem
Forwards : Alessia Russo, Rachel Daly, Lauren James, Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly, Katie Robinson.
On Standby: Nikita Parris, Emily Ramsey (GK), Bethany England.
