THE Three Lions will gather under the Wembley arch tonight as they face off against Belgium for an Alzheimer’s Society friendly but also as a chance to prepare for the Euros in the summer.
Having fallen short against Brazil after a late goal by Endrick, England will be looking to put their best foot forward in this game.
Since their loss, goalkeeper James Trafford and defender Rico Lewis have joined the Three Lions from the Under 21’s after Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker and Sam Johnstone have returned to their respective clubs through recent injuries.
This is Johnstone’s first senior call up after being a part of the U21’s side who won the European Championships last summer.
Lewis already has one cap for England under Gareth Southgate, he made his debut against North Macedonia in November 2023.
For the match up, midfielder Declan Rice will take the captain’s armband on his 50th cap, in absence of Harry Kane and Walker.
The Arsenal midfielder moved from West Ham in the summer of 2023 and since then has made quite the impact for the North London side, solidifying himself as a trustworthy choice for Southgate in the midfield.
Rice made his debut for the Three Lions in 2019 and has since featured in the Euros 2020 squad and the World Cup 2022 squad.
Southgate has confirmed that Jude Bellingham is fit to play after leaving the pitch with cramp against Brazil.
Forwards Cole Palmer and Ivan Toney as well as midfielder James Maddison and defender Jarrad Branthwaite are in contention to play.
In the second half of the game, England will wear shirts without their names on the back as the match is dedicated to the Alzheimer’s society.
It will be the second time the team has done this after beating Switzerland 2-1 in March 2022.
The game will kickoff at 7:45 and will be shown on Channel 4.
