9 min: England get the game under way again as Bright sends a long ball over the France defence to Hemp, but De Almeida gets back to force her out wide.

7 min: England goalkeeper Earps limps off with tears in her eyes, assisted by physios. She has been replaced by Hannah Hampton.

6 min: Earps is down again after making a clearance. It looks like she will be forced to come off.

4 min: Earps is able to play on for now. France have a corner, the ball is sent into the box but England can clear the danger.

2 min: A disastrous start for the Lionesses as Earps goes down with an injury after a matter of seconds. The goalkeeper appeared to wince after passing the ball out from the back. It looks like it could be a hip issue.

1 min: England face some early pressure as Bright gives the ball away to Cascarino, who looks to cross it but her attempt is intercepted and sent behind for a corner.

Kick-off

The teams are out. The national anthems have been sung. Kick-off is just a few minutes away!

Toone in Toon

The Euro 2025 qualifier between Scotland and Israel at Hampden Park was delayed this evening after a protester chained themselves to one of the goal frames. The match has now kicked off.

In case you missed it… arguably the worst kept secret in women’s football was confirmed this week. Chelsea officially announced the arrival of new manager Sonia Bompastor from Lyon. Bompastor has signed a four-year deal with the Blues. She replaces Emma Hayes, who recently left to become head coach of the United States Women’s National Team.

Upon her arrival at Stamford Bridge, Bompastor said: “I hope to live up to Emma’s legacy and continue the work that has been done in recent years. Let the adventure begin.”

Millie Bright returns to the England starting line-up tonight for the first time since October. The defender missed five months of the season through injury but has now returned to full fitness. Discussing today’s match, Bright said: “France are an incredible team, pose a lot of threats. Equally there are things we can do to put the threats on them.

“We have to be extremely prepared. We know it’s going to be two tough games. As always we don’t go out for anything other than wins and a good performance. It will be a massive message.”

Lucy Bronze became the first English player to win five Champions League titles last weekend. FIVE!

Is she the greatest Lioness of all-time? Let me know what you think!

Lionesses captain Leah Williamson admits she is “looking forward” to the challenge of playing for her spot in Sarina Wiegman’s competitive starting line-up. She said: “It’s the first time that, obviously, me and Millie have been back in the squad together for a long time, so it’s been nice in that regard.

“I think we’ve got a really strong unit - I mentioned coming back into the squad about how well they’ve performed and how they’ve raised the level, so it’s good to be back. It’s a competitive unit to try to get into. I’ll look forward to the challenge, I think, as everybody does.

Tonight will be Sarina Wiegman’s 50th game in charge of England. It is also Arjan Veurink’s 50th game with the Lionesses and Mary Earps’ 50th senior international cap. Hopefully a night to remember for all three!

Niamh Charles was replaced by Maya Le Tissier in Sarina Wiegman’s core squad this week. The defender remains with Chelsea to manage a calf injury. Goalkeeper Kayla Rendell, who was on the standby list, has also withdrawn due to an ankle injury. She has been replaced by Birmingham’s Lucy Thomas. Lauren James became the latest player to leave the camp on Thursday. The forward is currently managing a foot injury and has been replaced by Jessica Naz.

Team News

Preamble