Promotion back to the top tier of the Nations League is on the line when England play Ireland at Wembley in their final game of 2024. Lee Carsley will take charge of his last match as interim manager before Thomas Tuchel takes over in January, and Thursday’s 3-0 win in Greece means England seal top spot in group B2 with a win.
Securing promotion is key for England because it means they would avoid a Nations League play-off in March. That would be a nuisance for Tuchel and early disruption to his plans for the World Cup, so there is a lot at stake. England have been hit by a raft of player withdraws in this camp but they should have too much for Ireland, who are at the start of a rebuild under new manager Heimir Hallgrimsson.
Harry Kane will return to the England side after Carsley named him on the bench against Greece. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Dan Kilpatrick, Malik Ouzia and Dom Smith at Wembley.
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14:32 , Giuseppe Muro
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of England vs Ireland!
England are out to end 2024 on a high in Lee Carsley’s final game as interim head coach before Thomas Tuchel takes over in January.
Victory against the Irish will mean England secure promotion back to the top tier of the Nations League and avoid a disruptive play-off in March, so there is a lot at stake at Wembley.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news ahead of kick-off, which comes at 5pm GMT!