Fast approaching
Thanks for the early take-off, Josh; I’ll drive us into our main spate of action now!
England, two for two under Thomas Tuchel, will play minnows Andorra at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona tonight as they return to World Cup 2026 qualifying.
The Three Lions have already taken the lead in Group K, while their “hosts,” who have lost both of their first games, are at the bottom of the standings.
A portion of the offensive duty will go to Fernandez, given five-goal striker Albert Rosas Ubach’s absence.
Given the significance of the three points, Tuchel’s team selection sparks question ahead of the friendly against Senegal on Tuesday.
Ollie Watkins withdrew on Friday afternoon, hence his lack of involvement.
For many of the England players, it is their last match of the season, and they hope to end it on a high note.
What the boss had to say
Thomas Tuchel spoke on the importance of this game, saying: “It is a World Cup qualifier and we will not devalue it to an exhibition game.
“It will be a very serious approach. It will be an offensive line-up and an attacking line-up.
“We anticipate a match where we have the majority of the ball.
“We are huge favourites.
“We want to be fully committed to a World Cup qualifier.”
Absentees
We have already shared the team news but there were a few names who had previously withdrawn from the squad ahead of the clash.
Ollie Watkins, Bukayo Saka and Conor Gallagher will all be absent.
Tuchel has already confirmed he is not replacing Watkins in the squad, instead deciding to stick with Ivan Toney and Harry Kane as striker options.
The German manager also said he will pick an “attacking line-up” and take a “very serious approach.”
A double away day
Tonight marks England’s first away trip under Thomas Tuchel…
But it will also be an away day for Andorra with the match taking place at Espanyol’s home ground across the border in Barcelona, Spain.
Tuchel is two from two at Wembley and will be confident of maintainig his perfect record tonight.