England take on Greece in an essential UEFA Nations League clash that still could determine who takes top spot. Interim manager Lee Carsley has made several adjustments, with Ezri Konsa, Morgan Gibbs-White and Kobbie Mainoo no longer part of his squad.
Cole Palmer remains in the team and hopes to make his first start. Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall may earn their first senior caps.
In this article, we will discuss the main points of England National Football Team vs Greece National Football Team Lineups.
England Starting XI:
| No. | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jordan Pickford | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Trent Alexander-Arnold | Defender |
| 5 | John Stones | Defender |
| 6 | Levi Colwill | Defender |
| 3 | Rico Lewis | Defender |
| 4 | Declan Rice | Midfielder |
| 8 | Jude Bellingham | Midfielder |
| 7 | Bukayo Saka | Forward |
| 10 | Cole Palmer | Forward |
| 11 | Phil Foden | Forward |
| 9 | Ollie Watkins | Forward |
Greece Starting XI:
| No. | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Odysseas Vlachodimos | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Lazaros Rota | Defender |
| 4 | Konstantinos Mavropanos | Defender |
| 5 | Konstantinos Koulierakis | Defender |
| 3 | Dimitris Giannoulis | Defender |
| 6 | Dimitrios Kourbelis | Midfielder |
| 8 | Manolis Siopis | Midfielder |
| 10 | Anastasios Bakasetas | Midfielder |
| 7 | Christos Tzolis | Forward |
| 9 | Vangelis Pavlidis | Forward |
| 11 | Giorgos Masouras | Forward |
England National Football Team
England’s national football team is administered by the English Football Association (EFA), which has been a FIFA member since 1904. Furthermore, this organization oversees grassroots development and promotion throughout England. England plays their home matches at Wembley Stadium but also play international friendlies and qualifiers across other venues in England.
England struggled in qualifying for 2024 World Cup qualification and finished bottom of their group, missing automatic promotion by three goals. Players became discontented with their performance and coach Claudio Ranieri was eventually fired from his post that November.
Lee Carsley was appointed interim manager and has recruited many newcomers into his squad ahead of England’s Nations League campaign. Youngsters like Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Lewis Hall will make their England debuts, while goalkeeper Jack Butt will retain his place. Declan Rice should start alongside Jordan Henderson and Jordon Rowley while Levi Colwill fills in at problem position left-back; with coverage provided live via TNT, truTV, and Universo TV channels in America.
Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate has selected his final 26-man England squad ahead of their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match against Iceland on Friday. Southgate made several adjustments from his initial 33-man roster selected in May, including dropping Jack Grealish, James Maddison, Curtis Jones and Jarrad Branthwaite (though Jarrad Branthwaite will remain on standby).
Cole Palmer will make his major tournament debut at this tournament and has proven himself worthy with 19 goals and 13 assists during his inaugural year at Stamford Bridge – giving him enough pace and goal-scoring ability to join Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins as part of an attacking trio.
Southgate also retained Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace while keeping Manchester United defender Luke Shaw on board. Unfortunately, Southgate will likely face difficulties in defence without injured regulars Harry Maguire and John Stones and may rely on young players like Kostas Tsimikas from Liverpool or Kobbie Mainoo from Manchester City as solutions.
Lee Carsley
England need a win against Greece to reach the top tier of the Nations League, and interim manager Lee Carsley hopes it can make four in succession before returning to coach the England U21s. But they face a stiff test against a side who beat them 2-1 at Wembley earlier in this double-header.
Carsley was left naming an understrength side for their trip to Athens after eight players withdrew from his squad on Monday, including John Stones, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw who all missed out in favour of Aaron Ramsdale, Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill who joined Aaron Ramsdale, Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill in forming the starting XI alongside Liverpool full back Trent Alexander-Arnold, Manchester United left-back Kobbie Mainoo as well as Newcastle left-back Tino Livramento making their debuts as well.
Declan Rice will likely remain in the middle of Arsenal’s midfield alongside Jack Grealish and Kobbie Mainoo while Manchester City defender Kyle Walker provides experience at right back. Carsley could include Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones for added defensive solidity as a midfielder alongside Spurs’ Morgan Gibbs-White as second forwards.
Fotis Ioannidis
England interim manager Lee Carsley has made an unblemished start since taking over following Gareth Southgate’s resignation, and faces Greece on Thursday night as their toughest test yet in their new era. It will give Carsley his best opportunity to show that he should become their permanent boss.
Ivan Jovanovic’s Greece side have made strides under new manager Vangelis Pavlidis since their 2-1 win over England at Wembley last month – even scoring both goals late in the 94th minute for an unforgettable victory! Under Jovanovic, their performance under IFA Nations League table leader England was even greater and helped move them ahead in their table position.
One week on from their victory against Finland at Wembley Stadium, England will look for revenge against Greece at Wembley. They remain in contention to top their group despite losing home advantage, however to do so they must defeat both Ireland and Greece to have any chance at earning promotion to League A.
Manolis Siopis
After Lee Carsley experimented with an unconventional formation against Greece, he will switch back to more conventional tactics in Helsinki. Harry Kane will lead England’s attack, supported by Angel Gomes, Jack Grealish and Cole Palmer.
Kyle Walker will return as right back, alongside John Stones. Trent Alexander-Arnold will fill inverted left back duties, providing pace, experience, and defensive solidity in Manchester City’s back line. Levi Colwill starts as central defender to bring composure and tactical maturity.
West Ham’s Konstantinos Mavropanos and Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas will lead Greece, who currently sit three points behind England in League B Group 2. Since Ivan Jovanovic replaced Gus Poyet as manager in August 2022, they have won both their matches under Ivan’s guidance – both coming against England last time out!
Fotis Ioannidis’ absence will be felt acutely by Greece, yet Vangelis Pavlidis can fill in at forward for them effectively. The AZ Alkmaar forward scored three goals across consecutive victories during September. With his blend of physicality and technical skill he will present an immense challenge to England’s defence.
Christos Zafeiris
England are desperate to avoid being relegated from League A of the Nations League and need to win both their remaining matches against Greece and Republic of Ireland in November in order to do so. Interim manager Lee Carsley has put faith in young players such as Lewis Hall and Taylor Harwood-Bellis who could make their debuts. Non-leaguers Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White and Noni Madueke also received first caps.
Carsley has made changes to his defensive tactics following the failure of his ultra-attacking experiment against Greece, opting for a more traditional formation with Harry Kane leading a front three featuring Jack Grealish, Angel Gomes and Marc Guehi as support players; Kyle Walker and Trent Alexander-Arnold will likely retain their places at right and left back respectively.
Kobbie Mainoo will join Declan Rice as central midfielders, boasting excellent technical ability and controlling game in midfield. This battle between two of world football’s rising prospects should prove riveting.
Kostas Tsimikas
Kostas Tsimikas has established himself as an integral component of Liverpool’s defense this season as Andrew Robertson’s backup, starting Champions League games against AC Milan and RB Leipzig, Carabao Cup matches against Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion and also Carabao Cup match-ups against Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Tsimikas has been consistently reliable as both a defender and attacker this season. His assist came during last Tuesday’s 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest and he frequently provided dangerous crosses into the box.
Tsimikas’ performance is all the more impressive when considering his broken collarbone is still slow to heal from his collision with Arsenal’s Cole Palmer and has yet to return fully from rehabilitation.
Tsimikas has had to wait patiently for his chance to join Greece’s national side; however, his good form has been recognized by Greece coaching staff, and they hope he continues his consistency when he plays against Italy on March 5. They see his form as key if he hopes to be included for Euro 2024 runners-up Italy on that date.
