England Women are back in action on Tuesday when they face Canada at Stoke’s bet365 Stadium.
The friendly will be the Lionesses’ third match under interim boss Hege Riise – they beat Northern Ireland 6-0 in February and lost 3-1 away against France on Friday – and their final fixture before the Norwegian names her Great Britain squad for this summer’s Tokyo Olympics.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the talking points surrounding the Canada game.
The battle for Olympic selection
GK g a n g. ? pic.twitter.com/3TKtCB8JTB
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) April 12, 2021
Players will certainly be eager to impress Riise in Tuesday’s game, with her 18-strong GB squad to be named next month. She has said the plan has been for “almost every” member of the 26-player England squad to get game time across this double-header of friendlies; 17 featured against France. That included one of four goalkeepers, Ellie Roebuck – Sandy MacIver, Carly Telford and Karen Bardsley are also in the group.
Bronze a doubt
A more clinical edge?
Frustrating night for the #Lionesses. pic.twitter.com/RvnclF3J43
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) April 9, 2021
Riise has spoken of the “great answers” provided by the France game in terms of “what we need to improve and what has improved” in attack and defence, and highlighted the need to finish chances. While she wants improvement after what was an eighth defeat in 13 matches for England on Friday, Riise said she thinks “we are on a good road going forward.”
Priestman reunion
History-maker Sinclair
