England vs Greece: Important details, how to watch, team news

England host Greece at Wembley Stadium on Thursday in Group B2 of the UEFA Nations League. Both teams are looking to continue their perfect start to the latest edition of the tournament.

Lee Carsley made an impressive start to his interim campaign against the Republic of Ireland and Finland during the last international break in September, while Ivan Jovanović also began his spell as Greece national team coach with wins against the same opponents.

Greece currently lead the group on goal difference, something England will be looking to undo when the two teams meet.

The game is indelibly etched in the memory of many England fans after David Beckham's last-gasp free kick secured a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford in October 2002 and secured the Three Lions' place in the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Japan Korea.

Important details:

Date: Thursday, October 10, 7:45 p.m. BST (2:45 p.m. ET).

Venue: Wembley Stadium

Referee: Andrea Colombo

VAR: Valerio Marini

How to watch:

The game will be broadcast live on ITV and ITVX in the UK. You can also follow live updates from ESPN.

Team news:

Carsley's first England squad in September was considered bold after he selected players such as Lille midfielder Angel Gomes and Chelsea's Noni Madueke, players he had worked with in the youth team, and both were retained for the October games.

Dominic Solanke's form at the start of the season for Tottenham earned him his first call-up since 2017 and the former Bournemouth man will no doubt be looking to make his mark amidst competition from Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins.

Captain Kane caused major injury concerns for the interim coach after he limped during Bayern Munich's 3-3 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday, but tests carried out on Monday showed he had not suffered any structural damage. However, the former Spurs star trained alone on Tuesday, with England saying he was “working on an individual program indoors” at St George's Park.

Three names from the squad named by Carsley were withdrawn due to injury problems. The English Football Association said Ezri Konsa, Kobbie Mainoo and Morgan Gibbs-White will miss both games, and on Wednesday it was confirmed that Tino Livramento and Curtis Jones had been added as substitutes.

The main issue for Greece will be the fitness of star striker Fotis Ioannidis, who had to be substituted in the final moments of Panathinaikos' derby draw with Olympiacos on Sunday.

Form Guide

Carsley's back-to-back 2-0 wins over Ireland and Finland followed Gareth Southgate's finals campaign as England manager, which saw the Three Lions reach the Euro 2024 final, only to be beaten by Spain in the final.

The penalty shootout victory over Switzerland in the quarter-finals was preceded by a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the semi-finals, thanks to Ollie Watkins' powerful finish in the closing stages.

Cole Palmer appeared to have breathed life into England with his precise equalizer in the final in Berlin, before Marc Cucurella's precise cross found Mikel Oyarzabal, extending the national team's tournament woes to at least 60 years until the next opportunity arose in the United States. Mexico and Canada come over.

Greece, on the other hand, missed out on the European Championships in heartbreaking fashion, losing on penalties to Georgia in the playoff final under Gus Poyet. Since then, their interim coach Nikos Papadopoulos oversaw a 2-1 friendly defeat against Germany, followed by a 3-0 win over Malta, before Jovanović began his coaching stint with a 2-0 away win in Ireland and a 3-0 home win against Finland.

Panathinaikos striker Ioannidis has been in good form for the national team, scoring three goals in the two Nations League games so far.