Toone Says Lionesses Braced For Australia Revenge Mission After World Cup Heartache

Ella Toone has said she expects Australia to dainty Tuesday’s crippled against England arsenic a revenge ngo aft nan Lionesses “broke their hearts successful nan World Cup”.

England past faced Australia successful Sydney successful nan semi-finals of that 2023 tournament, earning an emphatic 3-1 triumph complete nan co-hosts earlier losing 1-0 to Spain.

“We collapsed their hearts successful nan World Cup truthful it will consciousness for illustration a revenge crippled for them,” Toone said. “We cognize it will beryllium difficult. There are nary friendlies successful football. We want to triumph each game. We want to execute well.”

Sarina Wiegman said she was looking guardant to nan gathering astatine Derby’s Pride Park. “They are a top-level squad and will situation america successful nan measurement we want to beryllium challenged,” nan caput coach said. “I’m not really looking backmost astatine nan World Cup semi-final – it was an unthinkable semi-final by nan way. They person a caller coach and we person moved on.”

Eleven of nan Australia squad named by Joe Montemurro for games against Wales and England are playing successful nan WSL. One of them, nan Arsenal defender Steph Catley, said that would bring its advantages. “You play against them and cognize nan strengths and weaknesses of each player,” she said. “I don’t deliberation it changes it excessively overmuch though.”

Australia hit Wales 2-1 connected Saturday, Sam Kerr starting for nan first clip since an anterior cruciate ligament wounded sustained successful January 2024. They person won 2 of Montemurro’s 4 games, defeating past drafting pinch Slovenia successful June and losing to Panama successful July, pinch England their first awesome trial nether nan erstwhile Arsenal manager.

England mislaid 2-1 to Brazil connected Saturday aft conceding first for nan 4th clip successful arsenic galore games. In nan preceding three, astatine nan Euros, they came backmost and nan squad ended up lifting a 2nd title. Wiegman denied location was an endemic problem.

“In nan Spain crippled we started good and we could person scored and taken a 1-0 lead,” she said of the final, earlier reflecting connected different Euros matches. “In nan Italy crippled we could person scored and taken a 1-0 lead. In the Sweden game we didn’t commencement that well. In the France game we started really good and they scored nan first goal. So, I don’t work together that we ever person slow starts. Last Saturday we didn’t commencement good enough. We had to get much physical. We talked astir that successful nan reappraisal of nan match. The players felt nan same. So we’re decidedly going to springiness everything to commencement amended tomorrow.”

Wiegman said Hannah Hampton was apt to beryllium disposable aft nan goalkeeper missed nan Brazil crippled pinch an elbow injury. “She’s good,” said Wiegman, who handed Khiara Keating a first headdress successful Hampton’s absence. “She is progressing really good and has ticked each nan boxes. We still person 1 time to go. If things spell good she will beryllium disposable tomorrow.”

With nan squad battling what Wiegman described arsenic “some niggles”, nan West Ham defender Anouk Denton has been added to nan squad. “Everyone is connected nan transportation but we’re besides successful a betterment stage,” Wiegman said.