England and Greece will aim to continue the perfect start to their UEFA Nations League campaigns when they clash at Wembley on Thursday.
The dreaded international break is here, and the UEFA Nations League resumes with Matchday 3 this midweek. England will look to continue the bid to return to the top division when they host Greece at Wembley on Thursday evening.
England fell into UEFA Nations League B after finishing at the bottom of the standings in Group A3 in the 2022/23 edition. However, the Three Lions have started their bid to return to the top division with successive wins in the first two rounds of fixtures, scoring five goals while keeping clean sheets in both outings thus far.
As for Greece, they have also kept a clean sheet in both matches thus far, although they have scored one fewer goal than the home side. The Sky Blue-whites are second in the Group B2 standings after beating Finland and the Republic of Ireland in the September international break.
The most recent clash featuring England and Greece was in 2006, with the Three Lions cruising to a 4-0 win and Peter Crouch scoring a brace. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
England
Lee Carsley has made a few changes to the squad he picked in the September international break, with a few players pulling out due to fitness issues, while others have returned to the group after missing out last month.
Carsley did not pick Harry Maguire, although the Manchester United defender would not have featured anyway after sustaining a knock this past weekend. Meanwhile, Ezri Konsa, Kobbie Mainoo, and Morgan Gibbs-White have withdrawn from the group. In addition, Carsley has dropped Jarrod Bowen and Eberechi Eze.
Meanwhile, Cole Palmer has returned after missing last month’s action due to a minor issue. The 22-year-old will return to the starting eleven on Thursday, lining up alongside Harry Kane, Jack Grealish, and Bukayo Saka in the final third. Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham will pair up in the double pivot.
Jordan Pickford will take his usual spot between the sticks, with England lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Greece on Thursday. The backline should feature Trent Alexander-Arnold, Marc Guehi, Levi Colwill, and Rico Lewis. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who returns to the English squad after seven years, will be an option on the bench.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Guehi, Colwill, Lewis; Rice, Bellingham; Saka, Palmer, Grealish; Watkins
Greece
Like his counterpart in the English dugout, Ivan Jovanovic has made a few changes to the squad he picked last month. Fotis Ioannidis is the most notable absentee, with the 24-year-old striker suffering an adductor injury during a training session.
Odysseas Vlachodimos will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Greece lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against England on Thursday. The backline should feature Lazaros Rota, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Dinos Koulierakis, and Kostas Tsimikas.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Manolis Siopis and Dimitris Kourbelis in the double pivot. The duo will aim to keep things tight in the middle of the park and restrict Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham.
Captain Tasos Bakasetas will reprise the no. 10 role, looking to pull the strings in the advanced areas. Giorgos Masouras and Christos Tzolis will be the two wide attackers, with Vangelis Pavlidis leading the line for Greece against England this midweek.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vlachodimos; Rota, Mavropanos, Koulierakis, Tsimikas; Siopis, Kourbelis; Masouras, Bakasetas, Tzolis; Pavlidis
Key Stats
- England are unbeaten in all nine of their meetings with Greece across all competitions (W7 D2), keeping a clean sheet in seven of those matches. The Sky Blue-whites have drawn their last two away competitive matches against England, most recently 2-2 in a World Cup qualifier in October 2001, leading twice before David Beckham scored a 90th-minute free kick to send the Three Lions to the 2002 World Cup.
- England have won 16 of their last 21 competitive home matches across all competitions (D3 L2), including each of their most recent five. The Three Lions have kept six clean sheets in their nine most recent fixtures.
- Since the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2018/19, no team has won more games in the competition than Greece (W13 D3 L4), who have conceded the fewest goals (8) and kept the most clean sheets (14) of any nation in that period.
- Greece are winless in their last 12 matches against countries ranked inside the top five of the FIFA rankings (D6 L6), since a 1-0 win over France at UEFA Euro 2004, their most recent such fixture ended 2-2 however, against France (ranked 2nd) in November 2023.
- Harry Kane has 26 goals in 26 competitive home appearances for England, scoring on each of his last six outings (9 goals). Only Steve Bloomer (1895-1899) and Wayne Rooney (2012-2015) have ever scored in seven successive competitive home games for the nation.
Player to Watch
Angel Gomes
While Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham might be in the spotlight, Angel Gomes will be eager to continue making his mark at Wembley after a memorable September international break. His performances might also help him continue attracting the attention of more high-profile clubs across Europe.
With Gomes entering the final 12 months of his contract at LOSC Lille, several Premier League bigwigs have set their sights on him. The 24-year-old will likely appear off the bench against Greece, and he will be eager to stamp his authority in the middle of the park.
Prediction
England 2-1 Greece
Both teams have been imperious in the first two rounds of fixtures in the latest edition of the UEFA Nations League. So, England and Greece might lock horns in an intense battle at Wembley on Thursday.
However, the visitors have an impeccable record in the UEFA Nations League, although their output on the road against top-five ranked countries is abysmal. England should take control of the proceedings on Thursday, but Greece will take the game to the home side. However, Lee Carsley and his charges should have enough quality to clinch a 2-1 win at Wembley.