England Women vs Brazil Women Preview: Where to Watch, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
England take on Brazil in their first match of the SheBelieves Cup on Wednesday evening, in what should be an enthralling appetiser for the 2019 Women's World Cup this summer.
The round-robin tournament will see England, Brazil, the USA (tournament hosts) and Japan all face each other once, and the team with the most points will be crowned as champions. The competition is now in its fourth year, and has been won by the USA in 2016 and 2018, and by Germany in 2017.
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Check out 90min's preview of the clash below:
Where to Watch
When Is Kick-Off? | Wednesday 27 February |
What Time Is Kick-Off? | 21:00 (GMT) |
Where Is it Played? | Talen Energy Stadium |
TV Channel/Live Stream? | BBC4/BBC Website/BBC App |
Team News
Phil Neville has lost midfielder Jill Scott for the whole tournament, after the Manchester City ace opted to miss the competition to focus on building her fitness levels for the World Cup. Chelsea defender Millie Bright is also unavailable, as she undergoes treatment for an ankle injury.
Brazil boast an array of technically gifted stars, with veteran forward Marta the pick of the bunch. The 33-year-old has scored a staggering 110 goals in 133 games for her country, and will be looking to cause some chaos in the England penalty area on Wednesday evening. Debinha and Formiga are other key players to watch out for.
Predicted Lineups
England | Telford; Bronze, Houghton, Bonner Greenwood; Christiansen, Walsh; Parris, Kirby, Duggan. |
Brazil; | Luciana; Lética, Érika, Mônica, Andressa; Formiga, Marta, Luana; Debinha, Raquel, Beatriz. |
Last Meeting
The two sides faced each other in a friendly last October, when Fran Kirby's goal gave England a 1-0 victory at Meadow Lane.
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The spectacle was marred by an injury to Marta, whose side were unable to find an equaliser against the dominant Lionesses. While the result was narrow, Neville was delighted with his side's performance, and branded Kirby as 'world class' following the win.
Recent Form
England lost their last outing to Sweden, who are viewed in some quarters as dark horses for the World Cup. The Lionesses were comfortably beaten 2-0 at the New York Stadium in Rotherham, with Sofia Jakobsson and Anna Anvegård both on the scoresheet.
However, the side were on a fine run up until that point, and cruised through their World Cup qualification group after winning seven out of their eight matches.
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Brazil smashed their way to a third consecutive Copa América Femenina last spring, but have been in rather sluggish form since. Canarinhas have lost all three of their subsequent matches, losing to Canada, England and, most recently, France.
Here's how both sides have fared in their last five fixtures:
England | Brazil |
England 0-2 Sweden (11/11/18) | France 3-1 Brazil (10/11/18) |
Austria 0-3 England (08/11/18) | England 1-0 Brazil (06/10/18) |
England 1-1 Australia (09/10/18) | Canada 1-0 Brazil (02/09/18) |
England 1-0 Brazil (06/10/18) | Brazil 3-0 Colombia (22/04/18) |
Kazakhstan 0-6 England (04/09/19) | Brazil 3-0 Argentina (19/04/18) |
Prediction
England are looking, very, very dangerous at the moment. With the likes of Nikita Parris in formidable form, the Lionesses look capable of winning their first SheBelieves cup and upsetting the hosts.
Brazil will prove tough opposition, and will be eager to rectify their recent form, but their lack of quality across the field could well be their undoing.
Prediction: England 3-1 Brazil
