England vs Australia: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

The October international break is upon us

England and Australia face off at Wembley for a rare friendly meeting between the two sides this week. The Three Lions overcame Scotland 3-1 in last month's exhibition encounter, while the Socceroos played out a 2-2 draw with Mexico during their solitary September battle.

The Socceroos also made the knockout stages of their most recent World Cup appearance, although their run ended prematurely with a last-16 defeat to Argentina, and asserting their dominance in a handful of friendlies this year has been a difficult ask for Arnold's men. England's seven meetings with Australia down the years have all been played under friendly circumstances, and the Three Lions have only been defeated once in a 3-1 2003 beating under Sven-Goran Eriksson, with their most recent encounter ending in a 2-1 success in 2016, where an 18-year-old Marcus Rashford became the youngest-ever England men's player to score on their debut.

Kick-Off:

Saturday, 14th October, 2023,12:15 AM (IST), 13-10-23, 06:45 PM (GMT), 13-10-23, 02:45 PM (EST)

Form

England Form (All Competitions): W-W-W-W-D-W

Australia Form (All Competitions): W-L-W-L-L-D

Players to Watch

Jude Bellingham (England)

Bellingham has gone on to bigger things than many could or would have predicted for him. Currently, he is a star of Real Madrid scoring goals for fun in every match and performing well consistently in every match. Bellingham is suited to playing in several different midfield positions. He is versatile and unpredictable, his role in the national team is very important and is a fan favourite.

Harry Souttar (Australia)

At 198cm (6’6”), Harry Souttar makes for a very distinct presence on the football pitch. At 198cm, he’s going into most games with a great physical advantage over opposition attackers and this has several benefits for him. The Australian centre-back isn’t just a formidable force in the air, he also poses a significant threat to the opposition on the ball. This makes Souttar an excellent asset for his side during early possession phases. He is one of the best centre-backs in the championship and in future can also play in the Premier League, his presence and performance will be very important against Three Lions.

Match Facts

• England and Australia will face at Wembley for the very first time.
• England are unbeaten in their last 17 games in all competitions at Wembley (W13 D4) since a 1-0 defeat to Denmark in October 2020.
• This is the first meeting between England and Australia since May 2016

Injury and Team News

Amid incessant calls for Arsenal starlet Bukayo Saka to enjoy a proper break, the 22-year-old has now succumbed to a hamstring problem and has pulled out of the Three Lions squad for October's fixtures, joining Ben Chilwell, Luke Shaw, Reece James, Callum Wilson, Eberechi Eze and Tyrone Mings on the injury list. Southgate elected not to call up a replacement for Saka - leaving Raheem Sterling out in the cold once again - but uncapped duo Levi Colwill and Eddie Nketiah have been included, while Jarrod Bowen and Ollie Watkins are back at St George's Park owing to impressive starts to the Premier League season.

The Socceroos have some new faces in their team but they don't have any injury concerns and will have all players available for the match.

Head-to-Head

Matches: 7

England: 4

Australia: 1

Draws: 2

Predicted Lineup for England vs Australia

England Predicted Lineup ( 4-2-3-1)

Ramsdale; Walker, Guehi, Maguire, Trippier; Alexander-Arnold, Rice; Foden, Bellingham, Maddison; Kane

Australia Predicted Lineup (4-4-1-1)

Ryan; Strain, Souttar, Burgess, Behich; Baccus, Luongo; Boyle, Luongo, Mabil; Duke

Match Prediction for England vs Australia

Despite a sequence of largely negative friendly results over the past several months, Australia's dogged World Cup displays mean that England cannot afford to underestimate Arnold's troops, especially if Southgate chooses to keep some big hitters in reserve. However, the Three Lions' strength in depth should eventually come to the fore at Wembley, where a 12th successive friendly win is on the menu for Southgate's side before the visit of the European champions.

Prediction: England 2-0 Australia

Telecast

India: FIFA+

UK: Channel 4

USA: FIFA+

Nigeria: FIFA+