England Women have added an international friendly against Norway in December to their 2020 schedule following the previously announced clash with Germany at the end of October.
The game against Norway at Sheffield’s Bramall Lane on Tuesday 1 December will be just the Lionesses’ second game since the 2020 Shebelius Cup, which took place just before the coronavirus pandemic took hold in March.
England’s last game was in the 2020 Shabelle’s Cup / Wolf Thorn / ISI Photos / Getty Images
It will mark the third time England have faced a strong Norwegian squad in recent memory. The Lionesses won 3-0 in the World Cup quarter-finals in June 2019, while the Scandinavians gained some revenge 13 months ago with a 2-1 win in a friendly.
England held a training camp during the September international break, giving manager Phil Neville the chance to see a handful of new players called up for the first time.
“Today’s announcement completes our 2020 fixture schedule and I am delighted with the strength of opposition we will be testing ourselves against,” Neville said.
“Our final camp in September was an opportunity for a number of young players to showcase their potential to integrate with the senior squad and be part of England’s exciting journey over the coming years. It was also a chance to regroup and take stock of where the players are at after the long break since the SheBelieves Cup.
Phil Neville oversees Lions training camp in September / Andrew Reddington/Getty Images
“The rest of the year will be about pitting ourselves against high-quality opposition to see where we are in terms of our growth and development.
“As we rebuild our squad, we need to constantly challenge ourselves against some of the strongest teams in the world to assess our strengths and weaknesses and prepare to win.” The work that needs to be done between now and our next big tournament needs to be planned.”
Both of England’s upcoming international matches will be broadcast live on BBC television. The Germany game will be shown on BBC2 on Tuesday 27 October at 3pm, Norway on BBC4 on Tuesday 1 December at 7.50pm.
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