As far as international friendlies go, this one is definitely one of the least meaningless.
Having made the final cuts to his Euro 2016 squad last week, Roy Hodgson’s starting line-up for tonight’s match against Portugal could give us the clearest indication yet as to who will start in the first match of the tournament against Russia in nine days time.
Hodgson has already indicated that his selection tonight won’t necessarily be identical to team that takes to the field in Marseille next week, but it’s unlikely that many changes will be made.
Here is the England team:
CONFIRMED: The #ThreeLions teamsheet for tonight's pre-#EURO2016 clash with @selecaoportugal. pic.twitter.com/rRwMGFjiza
— England (@England) June 2, 2016
As expected, Joe Hart is named as England’s goalkeeper, and appears to be playing behind a back four of Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill – the Chelsea defender given the nod ahead of Everton’s John Stones.
Although we can’t be exactly sure of the formation being deployed by Hodgson, Wayne Rooney appears to be staring in midfield with Jamie Vardy returning to the side after missing the Australia friendly due to his wedding.
Cristiano Ronaldo will not be facing England tonight. Having scored the winning penalty in last Saturday’s Champions League final, the Real Madrid man has been rested ahead of the tournament.
Kick-off at Wembley is 7.45pm. Let’s hope all players involved come through the evening unscathed.
