England v Scotland
UEFA Women's Nations League
7.45pm BST, Friday 22 September 2023
Stadium of Light, Sunderland

Sarina Wiegman has confirmed Alessia Russo will miss Friday night’s England versus Scotland match at the sold-out Stadium of Light.

The Lionesses kick off their inaugural UEFA Nations League campaign against their neighbours on Friday, with six group games taking place between now and early December.

Only the top team in each of the four League A groups will progress to the finals in February.

The two successful semi-finalists will then secure a place at next year’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with the third-place play-off winners also claiming a spot should hosts France reach the Nations League final.

It has only been a month since England played in the FIFA Women’s World Cup final against Spain, meaning many of the players are still early into their pre-season training with their clubs, something Wiegman was asked about in her press conference on Thursday morning.

The England head coach said: “Everyone is fine and everyone was in training. Yes, it is hard [to pick our team] but we have had a couple of training sessions and conversations with the players so we know where they are [fitness wise] and it looks pretty good.”

We're live from St George's Park with Sarina Wiegman and @Mdawg1bright! 🎙
https://t.co/uzZ2Fi72O8

— Lionesses (@Lionesses) September 21, 2023

Most of the squad joined up on Sunday but earlier this week it was confirmed Arsenal striker Russo would not arrive in camp until Wednesday.

Wiegman explained: “Alessia is fine, she is good. But before camp, I had a conversation with her and I decided that she needed a bit more rest so she came in yesterday and she won’t be available for tomorrow – well she would be but we are preparing her for availability for Tuesday.”

She added: “We have conversations and we have a team programme which we modify individually, especially in this stage with the games coming up and the calendar having such a short turnaround.

“So we have conversations with the players, we monitor the players really well too and then you have a feeling.

“In the conversations, you become aware of things too and then I made the decision for her because I felt ‘um, this is not right and she really needs a couple of days’ rest’, which means she won’t be available for Scotland.

“You want to perform at the highest level and people have to be able to perform at the highest level but on the other hand, you have to do what is right and take care of the players too.”

Back together 🤗 pic.twitter.com/ymTePKn6OZ

— Lionesses (@Lionesses) September 20, 2023

England versus Scotland is the oldest rivalry in football and is a game the fans in particular look forward to.

The players are also well aware of each other, with nine of Scotland’s squad playing in England and Real Madrid’s Caroline Weir being a former team-mate with some of the Lionesses players both at a club and Team GB level.

And Millie Bright, who joined Wiegman for the press conference, said: “It is another game and another opponent who we want to dominate and we want to win the game. But like you said, the rivalry maybe makes it a little bit more fiery and it will be two opponents who want to win the game.”

She continued: “Firstly, it is a game we want to go out and win. Our mentality as players is to get back out there, to perform get a solid performance and get the win. That is where our heads are at.

“Knowing some of their players, both teams know each other extremely well so we expect it will be a very tough game and it will be two teams that are very well prepared. Hopefully it is an exciting one for the fans.”

On fire in the rain! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/iQaIOkl1V0

— Lionesses (@Lionesses) September 20, 2023

Scotland in profile

Match Facts

● England have won all 12 of their matches against Scotland on home soil, winning those games by an aggregate score of 44-2.

● Scotland have lost 23 of their 26 matches against England in all competitions (W2 D1), with their two wins coming in May 1977 (2-1) and March 2011 (2-0).

● England have only lost two of their 39 games under Sarina Wiegman (W30 D7), although one of those was against Spain in their last game in the World Cup final in Australia. The Lionesses haven’t lost consecutive games since April 2021.

● Scotland have won their last four matches – all in friendlies – winning those games while scoring ten goals and conceding only one. They last registered five wins in a row in October 2021.

● England’s only previous game at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light was a 1-0 win in November 2021 against Austria in a World Cup qualifier.

● Scotland’s 17-year-old forward Emma Watson has been involved in five goals in four appearances for the national team (three goals, two assists), averaging a goal or assist every 61 minutes.

● At the recent 2023 Women’s World Cup, England’s Alex Greenwood completed the most passes (542) and had the best passing accuracy of any player to attempt at least 250 at the tournament (89%), while she also made the most line-breaking passes (103).

● For England this calendar year, Lauren James has more goals and assists combined of any Lionesses player (four goals, four assists), with five of those coming against China PR in a 6-1 win at the Women’s World Cup (two goals, three assists).

Head to head

England's first meeting with Scotland came in November 1972, our first senior international game, when we win 3-2 in a friendly in Greenock.

Since then, we've played 26 games, winning 23 to Scotland's two, and then one draw.

Our last three games have all ended in wins for England, with details below.

Scotland 1-2 England
9 June 2019,
Nice, France

Goals from Nikita Parris and Ellen White sealed a win for the Lionesses in the 2019 World Cup, as Phil Neville's began their group stage in the south of France.

England 6-0 Scotland
19 July 2017 
Utrecht, Netherlands

A Jodie Taylor hat-trick saw the Lionesses start their EURO campaign with a bang, as Mark Sampson's squad 

Scotland 4-4 England
8 March 2014
Larnaca, Cyprus

A thrilling draw at the 2014 Cyprus Cup saw the teams tied thanks to goals from Ellen White, Toni Duggan, Rachel Williams and Kelly Smith.

England Squad News

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