Everton duo Sandy MacIver and Jill Scott have been called up to the England camp ahead of their fixture against Northern Ireland on Tuesday 23rd February at St George’s Park.
Current assistant manager Hege Riise will take charge after previous manager Phil Neville left his position to manage Major League Soccer side Inter Miami.
Riise has only called up 20 players for this fixture ahead of the Olympics in the summer. The upcoming match against Northern Ireland is seen as ideal for players to stand out ahead of Team GB selection.
Ahead of leading the Lionesses for the first time this month, Riise said: “I am looking forward to leading my first international camp with England. I have watched a lot of England and club matches and believe this is a group of players who are capable of winning at a major tournament.”
The first of the Everton duo selected for the squad, 22-year-old Goalkeeper Maclver, is yet to make her international debut but has been involved in previous England camps.
On the other end of the spectrum of experience, midfielder Jill Scott could earn her 150th cap against Northern Ireland.
The last time the two teams faced each other was in a 2008 European Championship qualifier, which the Lionesses won 2-0 with goals from Fara Williams and Faye White.
Northern Ireland have won their last remaining four Euro 2022 matches to earn a playoff spot at the rescheduled event which will be held in England.
Northern Ireland manager Kenny Shiels believes this friendly will be beneficial for preparations for the play offs: “They want that challenge of this stage of their lives and who better to have it against than England who are one of the top four teams in the world and a major player in the Women’s game.”
England’s match against Northern Ireland will be broadcast live on BBC iPlayer and Red Button, with kick-off at 12.30 on Tuesday, February 23.
