England’s Women look to Extend their lead at the top of their World Cup Qualifying group as they prepare to play second placed Austria.
Sarina Wiegman’s side are unbeaten so far having won all four of their games in group D, and are coming off the back of 10-0 and 8-0 wins in their previous international break over Luxemburg and North Macedonia.
The Lionesses will head up to Sunderland and the Stadium of Light for their penultimate game of 2021.
The visitors will provide a stern test, having also been unbeaten so far in the group and having qualified for next summer’s European Championship.
Irene Fuhrmann has guided her side to second and with a chance to overtake England if they can grab a fourth victory of the campaign.
Captain Steph Houghton and Vice-Captain Leah Williamson are out injured; in their absence Chelsea’s Millie Bright will take the armband for the first time.
When questioned about the captaincy Bright told Sky Sports: “It’s amazing. I think no matter what age you are, how many times you’ve done it before, it’s always going to be a huge honour representing your country, and not only that, but then leading the girls out for this camp is obviously an exciting opportunity.”
Ellen White is set to make her 100th appearance for England on Saturday: The 32-year-old has scored 44 goals for her country in an international career that has spanned for 11 years.
The forward has played in three World Cups and she will have especially bittersweet memories of her previous campaign; the Manchester City player scored six goals in the competition including a goal in the semi-final loss to USA.
Bright spoke on Ellen White and why she’s been so successful.
“She’s the best. Ells is a true professional, she’s worked extremely hard to get to where she is now and she fully deserves it.
“I’ve got all the confidence that she’s going to keep breaking barriers and keep breaking records. She never settles, she’s always pushing herself every day.”
The squad reported to St George’s Park on Monday looking to strengthen their place in the group as they look to qualify for the 2023 World Cup in Australia.
The Lionesses will face bottom of the table Latvia on Tuesday.
