England vs Luxembourg talking points as Lionesses bid for perfect campaign
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England conclude their World Cup qualifying group games by playing Luxembourg at the bet365 Stadium on Tuesday.
Here we look at some of the key talking points ahead of the contest.
Party atmosphere
Sarina Wiegman’s side are set to get quite the reception in Stoke as they play their first home match since winning the Euros in July. The fixture has sold out and no doubt supporters in attendance will be in celebratory mood, eager to salute the Lionesses’ historic triumph.
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Changes
The team made their return to action on Saturday, winning 2-0 away against Austria to secure qualification for next summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. With that job done, Wiegman – who had an unaltered starting line-up through the Euros and made three changes at the weekend – has indicated there will be further adjustments on Tuesday. The likes of Lauren James, a debutant off the bench on Saturday, Ebony Salmon, Katie Zelem and Lotte Wubben-Moy may get some minutes.
Nobbs’ return
Another player who may be involved is the more experienced figure of Jordan Nobbs. The 29-year-old Arsenal midfielder is back in the squad after being ruled out of the Euros by a knee issue. Nobbs, who also missed out on selection for the 2019 World Cup due to injury, will be keen to take another step forward with the next tournament less than a year away.
Perfect 10?
A win on Tuesday will make it a clean sweep for England in Group D, with them yet to drop a point in nine games. Indeed, they have not even conceded a goal during the campaign, while their goals for tally is a remarkable 70.
Double figures?
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The nine victories to date include a 20-0 thrashing of Latvia in Doncaster last November, the team’s biggest ever competitive win. Whether there is a scoreline in that kind of bracket on Tuesday remains to be seen, but certainly the anticipation is England being free-scoring against Luxembourg, who are ranked 117th in the world and were beaten 10-0 in the reverse fixture just under a year ago. The Lionesses have hit double figures four times in total in the campaign, also posting 10-0 away wins against the Latvians and North Macedonia.
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