The Three Lions will play Uruguay on Friday, March 27 and Japan on Tuesday, March 31, in what will be the next time Thomas Tuchel’s side meet and the last chance for the players to impress before the manager names his 26-man squad for the tournament in North America next summer.
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Games should offer tough tests. Uruguay is ranked 16th in the world and has quality midfielders such as Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde and Tottenham’s Rodrigo Bentancur. Uruguay, led by Marcelo Bielsa, is in Group H along with Spain, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde.
Japan is ranked 18th in the world and is included in Group F, which includes the Netherlands, Tunisia and another European team to be decided in the play-offs. English fans will be familiar with several players from the Japanese team when they visit Wembley, including Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma, Liverpool’s Wataru Endo and Crystal Palace midfielder Daichi Kamada.
“We are very pleased to have these two matches confirmed as our World Cup year takes shape,” Tuchel said in a statement. “We wanted to play against two teams ranked in the top 20 in the world, but also test ourselves against opponents from outside Europe. After Friday’s draw, the excitement for next year is building and we can’t wait to see our fans again at Wembley.”
more to follow…