France vs England LIVE: Lionesses team news and confirmed line-ups ahead of vital Euro 2025 qualifier

It’s safe to say Sarina Wiegman’s decision to name an unchanged outfield team from the 2-1 defeat to France hasn’t gone down well with everyone...

Here’s the England manager, speaking to ITV: “Everyone is fit to play and I think this is the team to start.

“As I said on Friday, I don’t think we played badly. We can do some things better in the final third. We decided to keep with the same players.

“If I see what we did on Friday, we know what we have to do better. We have had some good sessions. Yes, I’m confident. Let’s see what we do on the pitch.”

If all the talk about ‘failing to qualify’ is a little confusing, you can find the explanation below.

In short, England will fail to qualify automatically if they finish third or fourth in their group, but with a play-off system involving teams in other groups, the Lionesses would still be expected to qualify for next summer’s tournament in Switzerland.

Find out all you need to know about the qualification format below.

Here’s the France side to face England:

The visitors make a couple of changes: the experienced Amandine Henry returns to midfielder and replaces Sandie Toletti. The lively Lyon winger Cascarino also drops out and the PSG midfielder Grace Geyoro comes in.

France XI: Peyraud-Magnin; De Almeida, Lakrar, Renard, Bacha; Henry, Geyoro, Dali; Dinai, Katoto, Karchaoui

Along with Wingman’s comments, Ella Toone has backed England’s big tournament mentality to dig them out of a Euro 2025 qualification hole.

The defending champions head for the reverse fixture in Saint-Etienne tonight confident they can get themselves back on track in tough away fixtures against the French and the Swedes either side of a home clash with Ireland.

Midfielder Toone said: “As England, we want to win every game that we step into. We know that we’ve got a great team, a great manager and we want to go to the Euros, obviously.

“We won the last one, we want to go there and do the same thing, so right now it hurts a little bit.

“we’ve got a squad full of experience and we know what it’s like. We knew this group was really tough, so we can’t dwell on these results, this result tonight, we can’t dwell on it.

“We’ve got to go again in a few days, so as a team, we’ve got to make sure that we switch our mindset, we recover really well and we learn from the game.”

A 50th cap for Ella Toone tonight. She’s only 24!

Sarina Wiegman makes just the one change from the side that started the 2-1 defeat at St James’ Park, and that’s the enforced one with Hannah Hampton replacing the injured Mary Earps.

Apart from that, it’s as you were for the Lionesses. Leah Williamson skippers the side and stays in the back-four, with Millie Bright at centre-back and Lucy Bronze and Jess Carter full-back.

Keira Walsh and Georgia Stanway remain the pivot in midfield, with Ella Toone higher up. Beth Mead and Lauren Hemp are the wingers, with Alessia Russo leading the line once more.

England team to face France:

Hampton; Bronze, Williamson, Bright, Carter; Walsh, Toone, Stanway; Mead, Russo, Hemp

Or in 15 seconds...

The Lionesses have arrived at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard as they get familar with the pitch ahead of kick-off.

We’ll have the team news in around 15 minutes.

And after that bruising defeat, Sarina Wiegman has challenged England to turn the tables on France to kick-start their Euro 2025 qualification campaign.

Wiegman’s side have now taken just four points from their first three qualifiers and trail Group A3 leaders France by five points and Sweden on goal difference.

She said: “Of course, we first wanted to be first in the group, but that’s a little further away now. We’ll go through the game tomorrow and then we have the game on Tuesday.

“From what we showed today, I think we can win that game. If you see, we had more possession, more shots on goal – all we wanted more on target – so we go out there to win that game and from there, we will see.”