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Hope Powell will take a 20-player squad to Cyprus next week to take on two of the world's top five in friendlies, as The Three Lions prepare to re-start their Euro 2009 qualifiers.
England travelled to Cyprus two years ago in the middle of their World Cup qualifying campaign, and played out a 0-0 and 1-1 draw in two games against the Swedes. Sweden are currently ranked at number three and the game will have some added spice, as it was Thomas Dennerby's players, and not Hope Powell's who bagged the third European spot at the Beijing Olympics later this year. Norway meanwhile finished fourth at last year's World Cup, and Head Coach Bjarne Berntsen will be looking ahead to Beijing too, but without striker Ragnhild Gulbrandsen who retired from international football following the World Cup. For England, Everton's Emily Westwood comes back into the squad in place of Arsenal's Katie Chapman who is expecting her second child. With Everton goalkeeper Rachel Brown on the sidelines following a knee operation, Siobhan Chamberlain and Leeds's Carly Telford will be fighting it out for more international experience between the posts, whilst Birmingham City's Laura Bassett will also be looking to add to her seven caps. Following the two games in Cyprus, England resume their UEFA 2009 European Championship on Thursday 6 March away to Northern Ireland, followed by a home qualifier against Czech Republic on Thursday 20 March. Full England squad:
Chamberlain (Chelsea), Telford (Leeds), Bassett (Birmingham) Unitt (Everton), Stoney (Chelsea), A Scott (Arsenal), Phillip (Arsenal), White (Arsenal), Johnson (Everton), Asante (Arsenal), Westwood (Everton), J Scott (Everton), Williams (Everton), K Smith (Arsenal), Handley (Everton), S Smith (Leeds), Aluko (Chelsea), Carney (Arsenal), Yankey (Arsenal), Sanderson (Arsenal). Story from www.thefa.com/Womens. |
