England host Portugal in a must-win penultimate League A3 fixture in the 2024-25 UEFA Women’s Nations League.
Victory could see England move top of the group if Spain fail to beat Belgium and set up a winners-takes-all showdown between the Lionesses and reigning world champions in their final group match.
A draw or defeat for Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses though will only be enough to take their chance of topping the group to the final day if Spain don’t prevail against Belgium.
Portugal will stay third with a win or if Belgium don’t better their result in the event that the Portuguese don’t win in London.
Team News
Mary Earps won’t be part of the England squad after she announced her retirement from international football, with no replacement called up to provide competition for goalkeepers; Hannah Hampton, Khiara Keating and Anna Moorhouse.
Lotte Wubben-Moy and Laura Blindkilde Brown have replaced Millie Bright and Ella Morris, after the latter pair withdrew due to fatigue and an ACL injury respectively.
Alessia Russo and Ella Toone will sit this game out due to minor injuries, but are set to return next week for the trip to Spain.
Portugal will be without Kika Nazareth as the midfielder remains sidelined with an ankle injury, which forced her to miss April’s fixtures against Spain.
Jessica Silva however is available after she sat out the double-header against Spain due to injury.
When is Kick-Off?
England host Portugal at Wembley Stadium, London, on Friday 30 May at 7:45pm BST, live on ITV1 and ITVX in the UK.
Stat Attack
- England drew 1-1 in their only previous UEFA Women’s Nations League meeting against Portugal, albeit away in February 2025.
- Portugal are making their first UEFA Women’s Nations League visit to England.
- England are yet to lose at home to Portugal in all competitions (W3, D1), during which they have kept four clean sheets and scored eight goals in three of those fixtures.
- Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses have scored six goals at home in this group without conceding (W2), during which Jess Park scored in both matches.
- Two of Portugal’s five goals in the group were scored by Carole da Silva Costa.
Prediction
Having produced a horrific first-half display in their eventual 3-2 away defeat to Belgium in their last outing which cost them control of their own destiny in this double-header. England now need to knuckle down simply play with the same intensity as saw in that second half as a win is now imperative.
Portugal meanwhile are flirting with relegation but have an outside faint shot at somehow topping the group despite the very complicated maths involved, so I expect them to be tricky opposition if can dig in like they did at home but this time keep a clean sheet and do a smash-and-grab winner.
Their away record against England on English soil though is poor with no goals in four visits so this is a huge ask for them, especially coming up against an England team who should be just too strong at home if can tighten up defensively but be more clinical up front.
Prediction: England 2-1 Portugal
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