Englandvs.Belgium

Both teams fired a blank in their respective friendlies over the weekend, with England losing 1-0 to Brazil and Belgium drawing 0-0 against the Republic of Ireland.

Gareth Southgate has seen his squad decimated with injury over the past few days, while Belgium are also without some of their key individuals for this one.

Here, Sports Mole curates a combined XI of the players still available to Southgate and Domenico Tedesco ahead of Tuesday's clash.

GK: Jordan Pickford

With Thibaut Courtois suffering yet another injury setback in recent weeks, there is no doubting who takes the place in goal, as England's Jordan Pickford proved why he is still number one under Southgate on Saturday.

Had it not been for Pickford, the scoreline could have been even worse for the Three Lions, and the Everton stopper was faultless for Endrick's winner, and is a certainty to start at the Euros in the summer.

CB: Ezri Konsa

With Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire both pulling out of the England squad this week, Southgate will have to experiment with some less-experienced defenders for this clash, as Konsa could be set for his first senior start after making his debut at the weekend.

Konsa has been terrific under Unai Emery at Aston Villa, retaining his place despite some high-profile defensive signings such as Pau Torres and Clement Lenglet, and his versatility also often keeps Matty Cash out at right-back, as the 26-year-old could prove very useful to Southgate if he wishes to change shape.

CB: John Stones

Another of the guaranteed starters in Germany, should he stay fit, will be John Stones, as the Manchester City man is set to play alongside unfamiliar defensive partners on Tuesday.

The treble winner is undoubtedly England's best defender at present, and his talent on the ball has even seen Pep Guardiola transform him into a hybrid holding midfielder at the Etihad, and he is set to play an important role in their trophy hunt in the latter weeks of the season.

CB: Jarrad Branthwaite

After not getting any minutes in the defeat by Brazil, Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite can expect to make his England debut on Tuesday, and it will be richly deserved for a defender who has exploded onto the scene this season.

Despite being down in 16th, Everton have a defensive record only bettered by the runaway top three, and that is largely down to the performances of Branthwaite, who has been linked with big-money moves to the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid this season.

RM: Cole Palmer

Another player chasing a first England start is Cole Palmer, and Chelsea's player of the season so far now looks like a shoo-in for the Euro squad this summer.

Palmer earned his first two caps in November, just months after winning the European Under-21 Championship, and following form at Chelsea that has seen him contribute to 26 goals from midfield, he is one of the most in-form English players anywhere at present.

CM: Declan Rice

After taking the step up to the England senior team comfortably in his stride, and leading West Ham United to European honours, it is no surprise to see Declan Rice now performing week-in-week-out for title-chasing Arsenal.

A certain starter under Southgate, Rice is one of England's most important players, offering the sort of quality in midfield the Three Lions lacked at the 2018 World Cup, and after a near-miss at Euro 2020 and a fine showing in Qatar, the Arsenal man will be crucial if the team is to go far in the summer.

CM: Amadou Onana

The current crop of Belgium players has not got the same level of quality as those from the past decade, but Amadou Onana has the potential to emulate the careers of some of those that helped the Red Devils to third place at the 2018 World Cup.

Onana has all the raw attributes to be a top-level midfielder, and for such a physically imposing player to have the passing range of the Everton man is rare, so with no Kevin De Bruyne in the squad, more responsibility will be placed on the Barcelona-linked midfielder.

LM: Phil Foden

Along with Palmer, it is tough to name a better English player in the Premier League at present than Phil Foden, as the Man City man has proved to be their most important player in 2024.

Nine goals this calendar year alone has kept City in the title race, and they are also huge favourites for the Champions League and FA Cup, where Foden could be a decisive factor in them completing the 'double treble'.

AM: Jude Bellingham

Harry Kane's withdrawal from the squad means much of the impetus will now be placed on Jude Bellingham to provide some magic in the England side, given the flurry of goals that he has managed at Real Madrid.

Already into the 20-goal bracket from midfield, Bellingham has been a phenomenon at the Bernabeu, and would walk into any team on the planet, so utilising him correctly could reap huge rewards for England this summer.

FW: Ollie Watkins

Kane's absence opened the door for Ollie Watkins to get a rare start up front for England, and while he was unable to get on the scoresheet on Saturday, the Villa man has been one of the player's of the season in the Premier League.

With 16 goals and 10 assists, no player has been involved in more Premier League goals than Watkins, deserving him of his place as second-choice behind Kane, as Ivan Toney has not hit the same sort of form that he showed before his lengthy ban.

FW: Romelu Lukaku

While some followers of English football may downplay the quality of Romelu Lukaku, the 30-year-old has hit double figures for goals for the 14th season in his career with Roma this campaign.

Brighton & Hove Albion felt the wrath of Lukaku in the Europa League recently, and Belgium's all-time record goalscorer netted an incredible 14 goals in eight Euro 2024 qualifiers, as he will play a central role in any potential success for the Red Devils this summer.

Combined England-Belgium XI