England vs Iceland: Live score, team news and updates as Cole Palmer and Kobbie Mainoo START for the Three Lions... with Bukayo Saka on the bench again ahead of Euro 2024

3 months ago 39

Hopes of a quieter night at Wembley

It was the hottest ticket in town. The face value of an official UEFA Champions League final ticket last weekend ranged from £60 to £610 but online and on the black market, they were selling for thousands of pounds.

A quick scroll through Live Football Tickets - a popular secondary ticket website - in the hours before kick-off showed a going rate of around £4,000 and these were for upper-tier seats. Some of the lower-tier seats were selling for close to £10,000.

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Iceland coach looks ahead to 'dream' Wembley showdown

Age Hareide, Iceland manager:

It’s always bad to lose players. But we have to talk about the players who are there. We have a lot of talent here.

I think it’s every player’s dream — and it was mine as well in 1980 — to play against England at Wembley.

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Southgate explains why selection news came ahead of deadline

Gareth Southgate, England manager:

I didn’t want to keep the players waiting until Friday. I think that would have been a mess, really

‘It wouldn’t have been fair on the players that we’ve released, wouldn’t have been fair on the players that were waiting to have confirmation that they were in.

‘Inevitably, we knew when we named a 33 there would be a period of a nice prep camp, and then there was going to be a couple of days where there would be a lot of anxiety and a difficult couple of days for us all.

‘But we’ll close that down later tonight and now tomorrow everybody’s heads are clear.’

Gareth Southgate, Manager of England men's senior team, talks to the media during a press conference at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on June 06, 2024 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

Breaking:Iceland team news

And here are England's opponents for tonight's game. Iceland include Burnley midfielder Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson in their ranks.

Breaking:England team news

Surprise, surprise. Southgate has pulled a couple of interesting selections. Mainoo starts beside Rice in the base of England's midfield. Palmer keeps hi splace in the starting XI presumably as a stand in for Bellingham in the No 10 position.

Foden starts, Gordon starts, so there's no Saka. And Ramsdale gets the nod in goal.

Euros fever in full swing

You know that point when the upcoming international tournament no longer feels ages away and you think "Oh, jeez, it's here! And we're going to win!"

Yeah that happened for me after I saw this absolute gem of a video...

Any chance Cole Palmer could force his way in?

At times last season it appeared that the former Manchester City forward was single-handedly keeping Chelsea in the top-flight. I kid, only a little.

Across Europe's top five leagues, only Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe had more goal involvements. But unfortunately for the uber confident youngster there are a number of very qualified players ahead of him in the England pecking order.

Can he impress enough to force his way into the starting side or should he just be thrilled to be here?

A little audition for Mainoo

Speaking of the Man United midfielder, his absence from Monday's win over Bosnia - due to starring in the FA Cup final - opened the door for a couple of players to gain some attention.

Such is the talent in this England squad, you could argue that Gallagher, Alexander-Arnold and Wharton all made decent cases to start alongside Declan Rice next week.

If Mainoon gets the start today you can assume that he's in the box seat but he'll need to make sure his performance is top notch. Going off his performances in the Premier League last season, there's no reason to assume he won't do just that.

Will tonight's line-up start the Euros?

Many are predicting that Southgate will use this fixture - the first half at least - as a dress rehersal for England's tournament opener against Serbia on June 16.

Makes total sense. This is the last chanve he'll get to see his team in a somewhat competitive enviornment and there are still so many question marks over the defence and midfield.

Mainoo or Gallagher? Is Guehi really good enough to replace Maguire and will it Foden on the left, right or somewhere else entirely. Oh, and don't forget about Cole Palmer.

The Man United and Man City contingent are back involved tonight but Jude Bellingham is still enjoying a mini holiday after winning the Champions League...It's a fair excuse I suppose.

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