England vs Austria. International Match.
Riverside StadiumAttendance6,606.
Jesse Lingard likely to start for England despite omission from Euro 2020 squad; Follow England vs Austria in our dedicated live match blog; Watch free match highlights on Sky Sports digital platforms and YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle
Wednesday 2 June 2021 09:07, UK
Team news and stats ahead of the international friendly between England and Austria at the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday (kick-off 8pm).
It is full steam ahead for England now after Gareth Southgate named his 26-man squad for the European Championships.
Though Jesse Lingard is among those who will not feature at the tournament, Southgate has confirmed that the Manchester United man, on loan at West Ham last season, will play a part.
"We've still got two matches to play which they will be involved in and if we pick up injuries that group of players are the ones who are on standby," said Southgate on Tuesday, adding that Lingard was likely to start against Austria.
Along with Lingard, the omitted James Ward-Prowse and Ollie Watkins were given the option to return home, but have opted to stay with the camp.
Due to their involvement in Saturday's Champions League final, Chelsea and Manchester City players Ben Chilwell, Reece James, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Mason Mount, Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling won't feature.
Manchester United players Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford are also unlikely to start having played in the Europa League final last Wednesday, while Harry Maguire, racing to be fit for the tournament alongside Jordan Henderson, is still missing with his ankle ligament injury.
Austria will have to do without winger Valentino Lazaro after failing to secure permission for him to travel without the threat of quarantine.
Lazaro had visited Dubai at the end of last month before heading to Austria to join up with the national team for their pre-Euro 2020 training camp in Bad Tatzmannsdorf.
"The 25-year-old would have to go into quarantine for several days when entering England due to a stay abroad for training purposes in the run-up to the team camp," said a statement from the Austrian football federation (OFB) on Tuesday.
Lazaro, who spent the recent seasons on loan at Newcastle United and Borussia Monchengladbach from Inter Milan, went to Dubai for training sessions with close friend and Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku.
"At that time, the player was informed that trip would not result in any restrictions for a professional entry to England," the OFB added.
"In view of the isolated travel activity and the close-knit testing of the national team, the OFB tried to obtain a special permit, but this was not granted."
The United Arab Emirates has been on the United Kingdom's COVID-19 red list for travel since mid-January, requiring a mandatory hotel quarantine for anyone arriving from the UAE, or who has recently visited there.
Lazaro joins the injured Marko Arnautovic and Karim Onisiwo on the list of those unavailable for Wednesday's game in Middlesbrough.
Follow England vs Austria in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle. Watch extended highlights on Sky Sports Football at 10.45pm on Wednesday and again at 5.55pm on Friday.
Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium will be the setting as the Three Lions play two warm-up games against Austria and Romania (June 6).
Capacity has been capped at 25 per cent, due to ongoing coronavirus restrictions, so more than 8,000 fans will be allowed to attend each match, which will surely prove a massive boost for players following almost a season of silence in empty stadia in the Premier League.
England will play all three of their group games at Wembley, with one of the semi-finals and the final also scheduled to be played at the national stadium, so the groundswell of support Gareth Southgate's side will receive as one of the host nations could prove a huge factor in the tournament itself.
