Friday will see the England national team play their penultimate friendly game before heading off to the upcoming Euro 2016 tournament, being held in France. However, with head coach Roy Hodgson yet to choose his final 23-man squad, their midweek game will give him insight on who to pick and who to leave behind.
Having beaten fellow Euro 2016 participants Turkey 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, as goals from the Premier League most in-form strikers Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy handed them victory. Next up is a clash with Australia, though this time the Three Lions will host the Socceroos at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light ground.
England
The clash with Ange Postecoglou’s crew will hand the one-time World Cup winners a chance to put their players through the pace before 26 men must be reduced to 23 for the trip to France. Hodgson will face a tough choice on who to leave behind, having already excluded Jermain Defoe and Theo Walcott.
Arsenal duo Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck, both initially tipped with a Euro 2016 berth, are unavailable to England as they are both out with injuries and facing lengthy spells on the sidelines. As a result, Man United starlet Marcus Rashford was given a nod for the provisional squad.
Although several outlets tip the 18-year-old to only make the backup squad, Rashford is expected to make his senior debut with the national side on Friday, having enjoyed a meteoric rise to stardom this season with the Red Devils. This is despite the fact that he picked up a slight knee injury in the FA Cup final last Saturday.
Team-mates Wayne Rooney and Chris Smalling are expected to report for international duty, as well as Jordan Henderson, James Milner, and Liverpool’s other English players, with the two Premier League giants having bid farewell to football with their FA Cup and Europa League finals.
Australia
The Socceroos will face the mighty Three Lions, but will head into the clash with a depleted squad, as the likes of Tim Cahill, Trent Sainsbury, Nathan Burns and Mathew Spiranovic and Apostolos Giannou unavailable to play on Friday due to club commitment.
Bayer Leverkusen forward Robbie Kruse is expected to lead the attack, whilst captain Mile Jedinak is expected to feature despite being given a rest from training, as the Crystal Palace ace will come face-to-face with several of the players from his side’s FA Cup loss to the Red Devils.
Which channel is broadcasting England vs Australia on TV or Online?
- In the USA at 14:45 EST on Fox Sports GO, Fox Soccer 2GO USA, Fox Deportes, Fox Sports 1 USA
- In Australia at 04:45 AEST (on Saturday morning) on beIN Sports Connect Australia, beIN Sports Australia
- In Canada on 14:45 ET on Sportsnet World, Sportsnet World Now
Live elsewhere? Visit our special England vs Australia broadcast page for more geo-localized listings.
*Note: Live broadcast data is subject to change*
Key stats
- This will be the 1st time in 13 years since England and Australia last clashed.
- Their last meeting was back in 2004, and the Socceroos shocked the Three Lions by winning 3-1.
- Postecoglou’s boys are on a four-game winning run; Roy Hodgson’s boys have won eight of their last nine home games.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Follow the game on-the-go
Download our iOS and Android apps to follow soccer on-the-go. It comes packed with features - live scores, fixtures, results, tables, line-ups, stats, TV schedule and much more! Sorry, no live streaming within the app.
