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Football London
Football London
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Beth Lindop

Sarina Wiegman makes 'best' England XI admission ahead of Belgium clash

England boss Sarina Wiegman has revealed she is still unsure of her best starting XI due to the wealth of talent within her squad.

The Lionesses are in pole position to retain the Arnold Clark Cup after downing both Korea Republic and Italy in this year's tournament. Across the last two games, all of the outfield players in Wiegman's 26-player squad have been afforded with minutes as the manager tries to determine who will earn a spot at this summer's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

A host of young players, including Brighton winger Katier Robinson, impressed on Sunday in England's 2-1 victory over Le Azzure, and Wiegman believes the competition for places will only serve to make the team stronger going forward.

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"We don’t really know our strongest XI at this moment," she said. "We don’t have to know yet but it shows that our team is really good because it’s hard to make decisions.

"There are more than 23 players who can play on (the World Cup) stage which makes it hard to make decisions. We have more than 11 players who could start in the team. It's not that they're not good enough to start, it's just technical choices we make.

"We don't have to make that decision now. But it's actually really exciting."

With the exception of goalkeeper Emily Ramsey - who has returned to Everton for treatment after picking up and injury in training - the Lionesses will have a full squad available when they take on Belgium on Wednesday. Wiegman has confirmed she is likely to make a number of changes from the side that faced Italy as England look to make it three wins from three in the Arnold Clark Cup.

A draw would be enough to see the Lionesses claim victory in the tournament, with Belgium - who have also won their previous two games - behind England on goal difference. And though Ives Serneels' side failed to qualify for the World Cup, Wiegman is expecting a stern test when the Lionesses travel to Bristol's Ashton Gate.

"They have played well. They played really well at the Euros. They just missed out for the World Cup but they have a pretty recognisable style of play," she said.

"It’s organised. They have of course some very good players. They had of course some troubles with injury which is very disappointing for them.

"We expect that we’ll be in possession a lot but they can also give us challenges if we give them the opportunity."

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