England manager Phil Neville has named his 21-strong squad for the forthcoming clashes against Germany and the Czech Republic.
Neville’s side will tackle Germany on November 9 in an encounter which the Football Association hopes will break the record attendance for a women’s match in England, currently set at 80,023, which came when the USA defeated Japan 2-1 in the final of the 2012 Olympics.
Three days later, the Lionesses travel to the Czech Republic, where they will play their final game of 2019 at the home of Dynamo Ceske Budejovice.
In total, 17 members of the squad that finished fourth at the World Cup in France during the summer are retained, including captain Steph Houghton and 144-cap Jill Scott.
Ellen White and Georgia Stanway, who missed the recent games against Brazil and Portugal due to injury issues, will be involved in training and Neville will assess their readiness for match action before deciding whether they will be with the squad for the autumn fixtures.
Neville is looking forward to the matches, stating: “This is going to be a momentous occasion in the history of women’s football in England. To have sold out Wembley Stadium for the first time and to have potentially over 80,000 fans cheering on our team will not only be record-breaking, it will be an incredibly proud and humbling experience for myself and my players and staff.
“It will be a hugely significant landmark moment on our journey and we are all extremely honoured to be playing a part in that. But it will also be a moment for us to say thank you and show our enormous appreciation to all those players throughout the history of the women’s game in England whose hard work, determination and resilience in far tougher times has helped bring us to where we are today.
“The hairs will be standing up on the backs of our necks a week on Saturday when we walk out onto the Wembley pitch. I’m delighted that so many of England’s former players are able to join us for an occasion which celebrates the achievements of every one of them.
“There’s an incredible amount of work that goes on behind the scenes at The FA to help us attract huge crowds like this and I want to thank everyone for their tremendous support.
“On my recent travels around Europe to watch my players I can tell you that what’s happening in England - the way the Lionesses have connected with the nation and the attendances in the Barclays FAWSL and of course at Wembley - is attracting huge admiration from other nations.”
As hosts for Women’s EURO 2021, England do not have any qualifying matches and must make themselves content with friendlies.
England squad to face Germany and Czech Republic:
Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Lyon), Rachel Daly (Houston Dash), Toni Duggan (Atletico Madrid), Mary Earps (Manchester United), Bethany England (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Lyon), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Steph Houghton (Manchester City), Abbie McManus (Manchester United), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Nikita Parris (Lyon), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City), Jill Scott (Manchester City), Lucy Staniforth (Birmingham City), Demi Stokes (Manchester City), Jodie Taylor (Reign FC), Carly Telford (Chelsea), Keira Walsh (Manchester City), Leah Williamson (Arsenal)
