The Three Lions take on five-time world champions Brazil tonight at Wembley Stadium. England are in action for the first time in 2024 as preparations for the summer European Championships begin in earnest against a famous foe. Gareth Southgate will hope a good performance on the pitch distracts from the pre-match controversy surrounding the new kit.
Kobbie Mainoo is in contention to make his debut, after being promoted from the Under-21s, along with Jarrad Branthwaite, Anthony Gordon and Ezri Konsa, against a Brazil side who have struggled recently. Selecao head into the game having lost their last three games and saw Dorival Junior appointed as head coach in January.
Can Southgate mastermind a statement win to kick off the year or will Brazil finally find some form at the home of football? Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Dan Kilpatrick and Malik Ouzia at Wembley.
England vs Brazil latest updates
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Kick-off: 7pm GMT, Wembley Stadium
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How to watch: Channel 4
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England XI: Gordon handed debut
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Brazil XI: Five debutants
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Score prediction: Three Lions run out winners
Malik Ouzia at Wembley
18:34 , Alex Young
A while out, Gareth Southgate had the fixture pencilled as one to test his best XI. Injuries have conspired against him in that regard so it’s a bit of a half-and-half side.
Seven players who are pretty likely to start the first game of the Euros, four – Gallagher, Gordon, Chilwell and Watkins – who are still battling just to make the squad.
18:27 , Alex Young
So, Gordon will make his England debut tonight as expected. Watkins starts in place of the injured Kane and Walker is the captain.Brazil hand out FIVE debuts, including three of the back four and the goalkeeper as they look to end a run of three straight defeats.
Plenty of familiar faces start, including Bruno Guimaraes, Lucas Paqueta, Raphinha, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo.
Team news in full
18:21 , Alex Young
England XI: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Chilwell; Foden, Rice, Bellingham; Gallagher, Watkins, Gordon
Subs: Johnstone, Ramsdale, Konsa, Dunk, Branthwaite, Gomez, Toney, Bowen, Rashford, Maddison, Mainoo
Brazil XI: Bento; Danilo, Fabricio, Beraldo, Wendell; Bruno Guimaraes, Joao Gomes; Raphinha, Paqueta, Vinicius; Rodrygo
Subs: Rafael, Leo Jardim, Murilo, Bremer, Richarlison, Yan Couto, Pepe, Andre, D.Luiz, A.Pereira, Savinho, Endrick, Galeno, Ayrton Lucas, P.Maia
Brazil XI
18:04 , Alex Young
Here’s how the visitors look.
England XI
18:03 , Alex Young
Anthony Gordon starts!
Venables tributes
17:58 , Alex Young
The FA have planned tributes to former England manager Terry Venables tonight, including appearances by Paul Gascoigne and Alan Shearer.
Tonight is the first home game to take place at Wembley since Venables passed away at the age of 80 last November.
Every member of the Euro 96 squad, which Venables led to the semi-finals, have been invited.
Here’s the matchday programme.
Head to head
17:46 , Alex Young
Frank Lampard’s winner in a 2013 friendly is England’s only victory over Brazil in almost exactly 34 years, with a further four defeats and six draws since including the opening senior game at the new Wembley.
England wins: 4
Brazil wins: 11
Draws: 11
17:41 , Alex Young
It sounds like Anthony Gordon may get the nod to start tonight, while Jude Bellingham is playing no10. Ollie Watkins starts in place of Harry Kane.
Southgate on Man Utd links
17:31 , Alex Young
Gareth Southgate said reports linking him with the manager job at Manchester United were completely disrespectful and that he would only make a decision about his future after the European Championship.
Southgate is yet to agree a new deal ahead of the Euros, which will be his fourth major competition in charge of England. His current contract runs through to the end of 2024.
“My focus is the European Championship,” Southgate told reporters on Friday ahead of England’s friendly against Brazil.
“If we did something, a contract here (with England) before, everybody would be saying, ‘Why are you signing a contract before a Euros where you’ve got to prove yourself?’
“I’m certainly not going to speak to anybody else ahead of that. I never have. I’ve been here eight years in the job. I wouldn’t entertain speaking to anybody else when I’m in a job.”
Southgate on England kit flag-gate
17:20 , Alex Young
Gareth Southgate says the Three Lions crest was the most important part of the national team’s shirt as the Football Association faced criticism of the latest kit from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
The shirt’s manufacturer Nike has altered the appearance of the St George’s Cross using purple and blue horizontal stripes in what it called a “playful update” to the shirt ahead of Euro 2024.
Sunak warned Nike “should not mess” with the flag, while Starmer urged Nike to “reconsider” the design.
Southgate, though, was more interested in the iconography surrounding the traditional Three Lions badge than the “artistic take” on the St George’s Cross.
He said: “It’s not been high on my list of priorities, but that depends which bit it is (causing the controversy), because I don’t know if the debate is about the St George flag needing to be on the England shirt, because obviously it hasn’t always been.
“I think the most important thing that has to be on an England shirt is the Three Lions, it’s our iconic symbol, it is what distinguishes us, not only from football teams around the world but from England rugby and England cricket.
“It’s the thing that, when I put my shirt on at Burnham Beeches 30 years ago, I looked in the mirror – and I clearly don’t look at my face too often when I do that – but the Three Lions really stood out.
“So I suppose what you’re really asking is, should we be tampering with the Cross of St George?
“But in my head, if it’s not a red cross on a white background, it isn’t the Cross of St George anyway, so it is a hard question to answer really, because it is presumably some artistic take, which I am not creative enough to understand.”
Score prediction
17:11 , Alex Young
Friendly games are hard to predict as the result is, ultimately, not all that significant. Still, the Three Lions are rightly favourites to beat a new-look Brazil team on a difficult run of form.
England to win, 2-0.
Brazil team news
16:57 , Alex Young
Brazil are without Neymar, Casemiro, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Magalhaes, Alisson Becker, Ederson and Marquinhos due to injury.
Therefore a debutant will certainly start in goal with Bento, Rafael and Leo Jardim all uncapped. Juventus duo Danilo and Gleison Bremer are the only defenders with any serious level of international experience in the squad after the withdrawal of Arsenal’s Gabriel.
Vinicius Jr, Real Madrid team-mate Rodrygo and Tottenham’s Richarlison will be tasked with providing the firepower but teenage sensation Endrick could look to make an impact if handed his third cap as he searches for his first Brazil goal.
England team news
16:44 , Alex Young
England will be without both Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka tonight, with Jordan Henderson and Cole Palmer also sidelined.
Kane’s rare absence with an ankle injury picked up playing for Bayern Munich gives Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate the opportunity to ramp up auditions to be the captain’s understudy at this summer’s European Championship, with Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney jostling to start up front.
Toney is arguably more of a like-for-like replacement for Kane but only Erling Haaland has scored more top-flight goals than Watkins’ 16 so far this season, and the Aston Villa forward is probably ahead in the pecking order to face the Brazilians.
In-form Phil Foden is likely to start, with Marcus Rashford, Jarrod Bowen, Anthony Gordon and James Maddison competing for the other place in the front line. Chelsea’s Palmer is also set to miss out, having missed training at the start of the week.
With no Henderson and Kalvin Phillips not in the squad, Conor Gallagher and Kobbie Mainoo are in contention for starts as the third man in midfield.
Ben Chilwell is expected to come in at left-back, with Luke Shaw and Kieran Trippier both missing out on the squad through injury.
Regulars Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham are all shoo-ins to feature.
Where to watch England vs Brazil
16:35 , Alex Young
TV channel: In the UK, tonight’s match will be televised live and free-to-air on Channel 4, with coverage beginning at 6pm GMT ahead of a 7pm kick-off.
Live stream: Fans can also catch the contest live and for free online via the Channel 4 app and website.
Welcome
16:30 , Alex Young
Good afternoon and welcome to the Standard’s LIVE coverage of the international friendly between England and Brazil.
It’s the first game of the calendar year for both nations, with the Three Lions looking to kick things off ahead of a big summer while the Selecao head to Wembley off the back of three straight defeats.
We have Dan Kilpatrick and Malik Ouzia at Wembley. Stick with us.
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
