Burkina Faso
Nigeria
South Korea
United Arab Emirates

Englandvs.Bosnia H'vina

sportsmole.co.uk, 2 June 2024, 22:57
England head coach Gareth Southgate has confirmed that prominent Arsenal and Manchester City players will be among the players missing from the Three Lions' ranks for Monday's friendly against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The inaugural meeting between the two sides - which takes place at Newcastle United's St James' Park - serves as the first of two warm-up friendlies for Southgate's troops before Euro 2024.

The Three Lions welcome Iceland to Wembley in their final tune-up fixture four days later, before pitting their wits against Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia in Group C of the European Championships.

However, Southgate will have nowhere near his full squad of 33 available on Monday night, and he confirmed a couple of surprise absentees in Sunday's pre-game press conference.

The 53-year-old revealed that Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka and Man City defender John Stones were both following individual programmes, although there is no cause for alarm with either of them.

England to be without nine players against Bosnia

Saka has been a stalwart for Arsenal in 2023-24 but has often picked up niggles during matches, while Stones has struggled with injuries and a lack of minutes at the Etihad in recent months.

"John has reported a bit later so hasn't worked with us, he will follow an individual programme," Southgate said. "Bukayo is fine, he will be rested tomorrow and should be available by Friday."

The duo are two of nine players who will not be at Southgate's disposal on Monday, a list also comprising late arrivals Jude Bellingham, Kobbie Mainoo, Phil Foden and Kyle Walker due to their recent cup final commitments.

Meanwhile, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Anthony Gordon are all working their way back from injuries, although Southgate had a positive update to share on all of them, particularly the latter.

"All are progressing well. We are pleased with the progress they've made, none of them will be involved tomorrow," the England boss added. "Gordon has a chance to be available for Friday. The other two are more unlikely, let's see how far they can go."

What could England's lineup look like against Bosnia?

In addition to the nine men already confirmed to be missing out, Southgate will not risk Harry Kane from the start; the Three Lions captain has been nursing a back problem for the past few weeks.

Instead, either Ollie Watkins or Ivan Toney will spearhead the attack, but the absences of Saka and Foden will spark fierce competition for starts out wide; Cole Palmer may edge out Jarrod Bowen to deputise for the former.

Meanwhile, Eberechi Eze and Jack Grealish will scrap it out to start on the left, but there are many uncertainties in defence due to the raft of absentees, barring a guaranteed start for stand-in captain Kieran Trippier.

The Newcastle man could either start on the right or left if the equally versatile Joe Gomez is drafted into the XI, although Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa may be preferred from the start.

Marc Guehi and Lewis Dunk should be the ones to benefit from Stones and Maguire's injuries in the centre, but the uncapped duo of Jarrad Branthwaite and Jarell Quansah are waiting in the wings for their England baptisms.

Show more

Top News

20 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni will be looking for someone to step up in Lionel Messi's absence in Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifying clash against Uruguay. 20 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina have confirmed Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez has withdrawn from the squad due to injury. 20 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly identified Inter Milan centre-back Alessandro Bastoni as a possible replacement for Virgil van Dijk. 20 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk As part of their preparation for the World Cup Qualifiers, Northern Ireland are set to host Switzerland at Windsor Park for a friendly match on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni will be looking for someone to step up in Lionel Messi's absence in Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifying clash against Uruguay. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Paris Saint-Germain have been touted as a possible destination for Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk, who is currently set to leave the club for free in the summer. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina will resume their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign when they travel to Montevideo for Friday's clash against Uruguay. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly interested in the signature of RB Leipzig attacker Xavi Simons, with the club having failed to impress in the final third under Ruben Amorim. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Poland will hope to get their World Cup 2026 qualification campaign off to a strong start when they welcome Lithuania to Stadion Narodowy in their first group stage game on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has been handed another potentially concerning injury scare, as Ryan Gravenberch has been forced to withdraw from the Netherlands squad. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Crawley Town have sacked Rob Elliot ahead of their final nine games to secure League One survival. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk In their first group stage game of their World Cup qualification campaign, Malta will host Finland at Ta'Qali National Stadium on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Algeria will aim to go a step closer to securing qualification for the 2026 World Cup when they clash with Botswana at Francistown Stadium on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Following in the footsteps of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello as England's third permanent foreign manager, Thomas Tuchel takes charge for the first time when Albania stop over at Wembley on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Ecuador will welcome Venezuela to the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado in Quito for Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifier. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Officials from Manchester United and Real Betis will reportedly meet next week to discuss Antony's future, with another loan move for the 2025-26 campaign believed to be a serious option. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona are reportedly considering making a move for Feyenoord defender Givairo Read during this summer's transfer window. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Galatasaray chief Abdullah Kavukcu has said that Victor Osimhen will inform the Turkish giants in April whether he is open to joining them on a permanent basis during this summer's transfer window. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Lille midfielder Angel Gomes on a free transfer this summer. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers are allegedly among the clubs who have made an offer for Corinthians attacker Yuri Alberto. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Gateshead's potential takeover reportedly involves a former Premier League striker. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal are reportedly prepared to offer new contracts to Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri following their first-team breakthrough this season. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United will reportedly scout Ipswich Town's Liam Delap and Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike on Friday evening, as the pair prepare to go head-to-head for their respective national teams. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio is reportedly on the verge of signing a new deal with Los Blancos. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Alan Shearer believes he would 'absolutely' make the current England squad in his prime. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Meeting for just the seventh time, England and Albania will clash in World Cup qualifying this week, as both take their first step on the road towards the 2026 finals. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr are reportedly prepared to launch a move to sign Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Manchester United have identified their 'most likely' striker target for the summer. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Chelsea and England hero John Terry was in the talkSPORT studio on Wednesday morning to tackle a wide range of topics in football. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Romania will be aiming to make it seven straight wins in all competitions when they open their World Cup 2026 qualification campaign with a home fixture against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday night.
Something went wrong! Don't hesitate to let us know if you need any help.