Mary Earps vs Hannah Hampton, Alex Greenwood's role and six things to watch as England's Lionesses look to secure Euro 2025 qualification

While most would back England to come through the play-off route of qualification if it was needed, especially over two legs, the Lionesses would certainly like to avoid that - and for a couple of reasons. The first is, of course, to get the job done and avoid the need to play four must-win games at the end of the year.

But automatic qualification would also give Wiegman two international breaks where she can identify some top opponents for her side to take on in friendlies, in preparation for next year's Euros. That could be a side like Spain, the team that beat the Lionesses in last year's World Cup final and will likely be the favourites to take their European crown in 2025, or involve a different type of test, such as facing Emma Hayes' United States women's national team.

Identifying the type of opponents England need to do better against and then cherry-picking fixtures to improve the team's weaknesses is a much more appealing way for the Lionesses to finish the year, that much is for certain.

So who will Wiegman trust to get that job done in these two games? One place in the team which is particularly interesting is that in between the sticks. Mary Earps has been England's No.1 throughout the Dutch coach's tenure, but Hannah Hampton has started to really challenge her for the shirt in recent months, even getting the nod in a qualifier against Ireland in April. It was the Lionesses' first starting XI for a competitive match that didn't feature Earps since September 2022.

Despite limping off minutes into her 50th England appearance in late May, it appears that Earps is going to be fit to stake a claim to start for these upcoming games, with her remaining part of the squad while others have withdrawn to continue their rehabs with club rather than country. But Hampton impressed in both games with France while her team-mate was sidelined. Could she continue in goal? It's going to be a close call, though Wiegman and the players have big trust in both.

One of the biggest surprises in those games against France was that Alex Greenwood found herself on the bench for both. The Manchester City star has been England's most in-form centre-back for a while now and brings so much to the table with her quality out of possession, fantastic set-piece deliveries and passing range from deep.

However, Wiegman opted to start Millie Bright and Leah Williamson together in the centre for those games, despite the former being a little rusty still after a long period on the sidelines while the latter is herself continuing to work her way back to her best level following an ACL injury. Some thought that might be the case and that Greenwood would start at left-back, a position she played for many years and that England don't have a natural fit for, then. But Jess Carter took that role and thrived, impressing throughout the last international break.

What does that mean for Greenwood moving forward? These two games will give us some further information in that sense, amid a feeling that her talent would only improve this Lionesses team if utilised.

While Earps and Niamh Charles were able to join back up with the England squad for this international break despite missing the last two games through injury, three players were not - including Lauren James. Her absence is, once again, a big blow for the Lionesses because she brings so much creativity and threat to the attack, in a way that no other player at Wiegman's disposal really can.

It'll be up to others to fill that void and bring a spark in the final third, the kind that helped James provide an assist in the draw with Sweden in April and score in the victory over Ireland the last time she was able to pull on her country's colours. The Lionesses have a lot of talent going forward, but who can dance past defenders and be the key that unlocks an opponent like the Chelsea star?

One player with the potential to be that figure is Fran Kirby, the 31-year-old who has dazzled England and Chelsea fans alike for many years now. She comes into this camp having decided on her next chapter, signing for Brighton after her nine-year stay with the Blues came to a conclusion, and it will be intriguing to see how that switch might impact her international future.

After all, Kirby has struggled for fitness in recent years, dealing with a knee problem and some illnesses along the way. Now that she appears to be consistently available again, a move to a club that doesn't constantly fight for silverware on four fronts and play every few days could be a good thing, allowing her to get into a nice groove that can reignite her electricity.

Kirby will come into this week perhaps ready to give the fans a glimpse of that, as she won't be fatigued and is one of the stand-out options to make a game-changing contribution in James' absence.

When a squad update was issued earlier this month, that which ruled out James and announced that Earps was rehabbing with the national team, a truly ridiculous line in the release stated that, despite England flying out to the Netherlands for a behind-closed-doors friendly on July 1, Georgia Stanway wouldn't join up with the team until a whole week later because Bayern Munich had already started their pre-season.

It was a stark reminder of how insane the women's football calendar is, that a player would have to leave club preparations for the 2024-25 season in order to participate in two international fixtures that are still part of the 2023-24 campaign. It also served as a cue to remember that all of these players, bar U.S.-based goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse, are not in-season.

That won't be as much of a problem for the Lionesses' opponents, either. Eight of Sweden's players ply their trade at home, in a very strong domestic league which runs from April to November, and four play in the U.S., which has only just paused for a mid-season break. Ireland, too, have a couple of players at home in a league that is still in-season and two more in the NWSL in the U.S. Could that give them an advantage in the next few days? England will hope not.