Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund got on the scoresheet as Manchester United bounced back after conceding a controversial goal to beat Brentford 2-1 at Old Trafford for their first victory in more than a month.
The win meant United climbed to 10th in the standings on 11 points after eight matches, and eased some of the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag, whose job has been the subject of media speculation. Brentford are 12th on 10 points.
United had 10 men on the pitch when Ethan Pinnock headed in Brentford’s goal from a corner deep in first-half stoppage time after referee Sam Barrott instructed Matthijs de Ligt to go to the touchline to stem the bleeding from a gash on his head.
United came out of the break fired up and Garnacho latched onto a cross from Marcus Rashford to fire home from the left side of the six-yard box into the far corner in the 47th minute.
Hojlund put the home side ahead in spectacular fashion in the 62nd when Bruno Fernandes found him with a back-heel pass, and the Dane chipped the ball over goalkeeper Mark Flekken.
Manchester United vs Brentford LIVE: Premier League updates
FULL TIME! Manchester United end five-game winless run with comeback win
68’ GOAL! Hojlund puts United ahead with brilliant chip finish (MUN 2-1 BRE)
48’ GOAL! Garnacho fires equaliser shortly after the restart (MUN 1-1 BRE)
45+5’ GOAL! United behind as Pinnock heads visitors in front (MUN 0-1 BRE)
United defender De Ligt was off pitch receiving more treatment for head injury
United are on a five-game winless run in all competitions
Man Utd XI: Onana, Dalot, de Ligt, Evans, Martinez, Casemiro, Eriksen, Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford, Hojlund
Brentford XI: Flekken, van den Berg, Collins, Pinnock, Ajer, Janelt, Norgaard, Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Lewis-Potter, Schade
Manchester United FC 2 – 1 Brentford FC
Manchester United’s sense of injustice sparks comeback win for Erik ten Hag
17:43 , Richard Jolly
Perhaps it took a sense of injustice to spare Manchester United further ignominy. When the half-time whistle blew, they were losing and losing their rag, Brentford on course for a first win at Old Trafford since 1937, United set for a third consecutive league defeat at Old Trafford, a fate they had not suffered since 1979. As it stood, they were the joint lowest scorers in the Premier League, their drought stretching past five hours. The class of 2024 were failing, the class of 2004 fuming. Ruud van Nistelrooy was booked. Darren Fletcher ran after the officials in the tunnel.
Ethan Pinnock’s opener – though actually far less controversial than United imagined – had annoyed their past. Their present responded. The temptation was to call it a much-needed win for Erik ten Hag, though perhaps the scarcity of victories means they all are, but ended with a first triumph in six games, just a fourth in 12 outings this season. The outstanding Alejandro Garnacho delivered a wonderful equaliser, Rasmus Hojlund a decider to cap a show of spirit.
Man Utd’s sense of injustice sparks comeback win for Erik ten Hag
Manchester United vs Brentford
17:06
The full-time whistle sounds and United are 2-1 victors over Brentford at Old Trafford. While the first half saw a bloody De Ligt struggling and touchline-bound, Brentford were decisive in his absence and struck the lead just before the interval. Pinnock rose best from a Damsgaard corner to head into the top-left, and it’s fair to suggest that even with De Ligt on the pitch, that goal would still go in. In the second half, United changed their tune and were inspired by Garnacho’s continued skilful industry. Just two minutes into the new period, the Argentine restored parity with a lovely volleyed finish as Rashford found him on the left channel of the area with a beautifully pin-point pass. Then, after continued offensive impetus, 15 minutes later saw the Red Devils snatch the lead with Hojlund. Martinez won the ball back and played forwards. Fernandes then offered a deft flick to play in the Dane, who obliged to dink the on-rushing Flekken and ultimately provide the decisive goal of the afternoon. United operated at an xG of 1.48, while the visitors stayed at an xG of 0.98. Now, United go 10th in the table, with Brentford down to 12th. Thank you for joining us today, goodbye!
Manchester United vs Brentford
17:02
FULL-TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 2-1 BRENTFORD
Manchester United vs Brentford
17:01
Brentford are keeping United in their area. The hosts don’t react to the dropping ball following a long-throw and then Carvalho drags his effort wide right!
Manchester United vs Brentford
17:00
Brentford keep fighting here and Frank has waved his players forward. Can they level late on?
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:59
There will be five added minutes today.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:56
United’s stand-out star Garnacho comes off to a standing ovation. Noussair Mazraoui is on, fully recovered from recent surgery on his heart.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:56
Rashford enterprise results in a corner on the right for United. Brentford clear, with Mbeumo desperate to break, yet he doesn’t get far. In the next pahse, Yarmoliuk fires over, but the flag is up anyway on Wissa’s run through the back line.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:53
Substitution Jonathan Grant Evans Victor Jörgen Nilsson Lindelöf
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:53
Substitution Carlos Henrique Casimiro Manuel Ugarte Ribeiro
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:52
Mbeumo wins a free-kick deep on the right and after a free-kick cross has the United defence alert, an eventual offside halts the visiting progress.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:51
Substitution Sepp van den Berg Mads Roerslev Rasmussen
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:49
United have numbers forward as Rashford drives at Collins and shoots, yet the move was rather telegraphed and the Irishman can block. Garnacho then pounds one low and hard after De Ligt made good yardage, yet Flekken can save easily, putting his body behind the ball.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:46
Casemiro darts in and Rashford puts the ball into Zirkzee’s path, but again, the Dutchman can’t get it under control. He just can’t catch a break.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:44
Damsgaard tries to wriggle through the Red Devils’ midfield, yet Eriksen ushers him off the ball before then getting fouled himself.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:43
United are just knocking the ball around now with jeers arriving from the home crowd. Zirkzee then gets played in, yet he can’t take it in his stride. Casemiro takes control, yet it’s comfortably wide right.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:39
Brentford’s changes keep coming as Janelt is withdrawn for young Unkrainian Yehor Yarmoliuk.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:39
Hojlund comes off to a brilliant Old Trafford reception following his game-changing dink. Joshua Zirkzee is on for the last 16-plus minutes.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:39
Substitution Kevin Schade Fábio Leandro Freitas Gouveia de Carvalho
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:39
The ball has been in play for a while now, but the referee remembers a foul from Ajer on Hojlund, and the Norwegian is booked.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:36
Dalot has seemingly forgot he’s a defender! He’s tried to race in behind again! The pass for the right-back was just too long, though, and Flekken claimed easily.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:33
Dalot breaks in behind after Onana pings one forward, and with Schade falling, Flekken has to come out and block the Portuguese! Great pass from the Cameroonian keeper!
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:30
Substitution Keane William Lewis-Potter Yoane Wissa Bileko
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:27
United are a complete different team here in the second half. Garnacho is looking electric and puts the ball into an area where there’s no one. Casemiro then crosses and Fernandes heads wide.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:28
Assist Bruno Miguel Borges Fernandes
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:25
United have a corner on the left with Eriksen. Hojlund darts in behind and Van den Berg puts it behind. The corner utlimately comes to nothing as a short move is well-read by Brentford.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:22
Norgaard is down now after Fernandes seemingly studs the Dane’s ankle on the right. No card given though.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:20
Yellow Card Christian Thers Nørgaard
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:19
Dalot slides through the back of Lewis-Potter and receives a deserved yellow card.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:18
Manchester United have attempted six shots on target in this match, higher than their season average of 4.8 in the Premier League.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:18
Casemiro has a go from range, and the sun-blinded Flekken saves again! The cap-wearing Dutchman didn’t look too sure where that was, yet he does well in the low sunlight.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:17
Garnacho nearly gets a second! Van den Berg is allowing the winger too much space and he jinks in from the left to fire low. Flekken tips it from the bottom-left corner in agile fashion.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:15
Brentford have conceded three goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half. Only West Ham United (four) have conceded more in the Premier League this season.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:12
Rashford and Hojlund link up superbly on the edge of the Brentford box and the latter runs inside, yet Pinnock slide tackles superbly.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:12
Goal Alejandro Garnacho Ferreyra
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:12
Assist Marcus Rashford
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:11
We’re back underway at Old Trafford as United have work to do.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:04
With that showing, Manchester United have now failed to score a first-half goal in seven of their eight games, more often than any other team in the Premier League this season. Something has to change for Ten Hag if he wishes his keep his job. United’s half chances have culminated in a lowly xG of 0.28. Although Brentford have largely operated on the counter, their xG of 0.83 hints at far more positivity going forward, and their decisive nature in front of goal has illustrated they’re not just early goal gimmick-chasers. United can’t play victim for too long in this one, otherwise Brentford could pull away.
Manchester United vs Brentford
16:00
The interval arrives and Brentford lead 1-0 here at Old Trafford as United are incensed. A relatively non-descript game had panned out to this point with Flekken and Onana only really tested by Garnacho and Norgaard efforts, respectively. Yet, the drama arrived in the final knockings. Earlier in the match, De Ligt for some reason opted to use his head to tackle Schade’s knee and was off the pitch on numerous occasions to get the wound on the top of his skull sealed up. However, as he cleared a late cross from the visitors, it opened up again, and thus he was called off for treatment. Brentford took the corner and Pinnock rose best to head into the top-left corner, and it’s fair to suggest that even with De Ligt on the pitch, that goal still goes in. Dalot didn’t follow the defender’s run and now an offensively blunt United trail with only themselves to blame.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:55
HALF-TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 0-1 BRENTFORD
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:52
Brentford have a corner here on the left. De Ligt’s head wound is open again. It’s doubtful he’ll be back for the second half.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:52
Goal Ethan Rupert Pinnock
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:52
Yellow Card Jonathan Grant Evans
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:47
There will be four minutes of added time here.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:47
Damsgaard nearly finds Lewis-Potter behind the United line, but an agile leg from Dalot, it looked like, halted the trouble. United are still forced to defend and De Ligt has blood running down his head!
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:46
Norgaard is frustrated at Casemiro’s theatrics to win a foul off the Dane. Referee Barrott has a chat with the Brentford midfielder to calm him down.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:44
Garnacho forces Flekken to save! Hojlund offers brilliant hold up play and then finds Garnacho who cuts back on his right to fire into the bottom-left. It’s deflected slightly and Flekken can save before it’s smashed behind for a corner. This comes to nothing, yet United keep the pressure up.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:43
Collins is down after Hojlund collides with the defender. The Dane is then played in in Collins’ vacant spot and the centre-back gets up to track back as the striker fires low and wide of the right post. The Irishman wasn’t happy with the referee there. Hojlund was apologetic.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:39
United counter after Lewis-Potter is slow to cross on the left. Hojlund holds the ball up in the centre and Rashford then pings Garnacho through on the left. The youngster drives at goal but his finish is poor and balloons high and wide at the near post.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:38
Casemiro has a go from range, and it’s deflected over for a corner on the right. Norgaard heads away and Fernandes then slams one way over.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:36
Eriksen fires over from inside the box. How on earth has he missed by such a height? Well, it doesn’t matter, as Collins was fouled by Rashford in the lead up and Eriksen has reprieve.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:34
The corner on the left nears Schade, yet Eriksen clears for the hosts.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:34
Onana saves from Norgaard! The Dane turns away from Casemiro with aplomb and fires from a central-right position just outside the box. It’s going in the left-side, yet Onana is agile to tip it away for a corner.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:32
After United eventually deal with Mbeumo, debatably illegally, with an arm across the throat being employed – Fernandes is fouled by Schade as he looks to get Garnacho off and running.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:31
Mbuemo gets left by Martinez and Evans lashes the ball skywards as the winger clearly causes panic as he chases Flekken’s ball from the back just off the right side.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:28
United buzz with intent around the Bees’ box and it goes out to Garnacho. He takes on Van den Berg succesfully and fires on goal. However, Flekken saves well down to his right. The subsequent corner comes to nothing.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:27
Brentford have lost all three of their Premier League away games so far this season – they’ve not begun a league campaign with four straight losses on the road since 1961-62, when they lost their first nine in the third tier. They’ve admittedly looked the brightest out of the two teams so far here.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:23
Flekken drops his claim from the left-sided corner and it has to be cleared off the line with Hojlund lurking!
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:22
The corner falls to Garnacho after De Ligt leaves it. His shot is blocked but the hosts keep coming and Rashford’s left-sided cross is blocked by Pinnock.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:21
United have a corner on the right after Ajer puts a cross behind on that side. Eriksen will take.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:20
So far, Brentford have had 68% possession to United’s 32%. There have been zero attempts on the Bees’ goal so far.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:18
De Ligt is back on, presumably glued up. Brentford have a throw-in on the left with Pinnock. He can launch them. Damsgaard then fires, but can’t get hold of it and Martinez blocks.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:17
Lewis-Potter smashes his free-kick into the wall and United can build out. Reminder, De Ligt is still on the sideline receiving treatment. Untied down to ten.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:16
Well, after De Ligt receives treatment to a gash on the top of his head, it looks like the medics are going to try and strap him up further. It does look like Lindelof will be entering the fray at some point, despite De Ligt’s intent to stay on.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:14
De Ligt is down with a head injury. Schade has flicked the ball over the Dutchman and the defender has headered the German’s knee. Free-kick to Brentford, as the former Bayern man was nowhere near the ball.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:11
Brentford are in possession here, yet United have pressed them deep. Somehow the Bees have well to escape with Ajer, yet his pass on the edge of the United area is intercepted well by Garnacho’s slide. Great recovery.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:09
Mbeumo brings the ball down from a simply sublime Collins cross-field ping and the winger drives at Martinez before jinking back on his left. However,he can’t keep the shot down and it flies high and left of the target.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:07
Manchester United average 0.7 goals per game in the Premier League this season (five goals in seven games), compared to three goals per game across all other competitions this term (12 goals in 4 games).
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:06
Brenford should have the lead here. Janelt crosses excellently from the left and Evans miss-kicks it. Schade misses it too and United survive!
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:05
Fernandes makes a positive start on the left. He drives and fires in a low cross for Hojlund to try and latch onto at the near post. However, Flekken is out to claim.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:03
Onana finds the ball at his feet. He’s out of his box playing like a centre-back. Interesting.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:03
And we’re off. United look to keep possession and not allow the Bees yet another early goal.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:02
Manchester United will kick us off after the coin toss.
Manchester United vs Brentford
15:02
Today’s official is Samuel Barrott, and he leads the players out to the Old Trafford turf. There’s a palpable tension around the place as Ten Hag’s future continues to hang in the balance. Will he get his team firing today? Or will United succumb to the dynamic speedsters from West London? All we know, is that this one should have all the makings of an entertaining watch.
Manchester United vs Brentford
14:57
Brentford boss Thomas Frank came within a matter of minutes of securing his side’s first Old Trafford victory since 1937 in the corresponding fixture last season. However, while Scott McTominay’s late strike denied him, hopes remain alive against this inconsistent United team this afternoon. For this meeting, Frank makes no changes to the team that whalloped Wolves 5-3 last time out, with attacking impetus very much in focus with the continued excellence of Bryan Mbuemo. He has scored six goals in his seven Premier League games this season, netting in each of his last three appearances. His next goal or assist will see him become the first Brentford player to register 50 Premier League goal involvements (currently 28 goals, 21 assists).
Manchester United vs Brentford
14:52
Erik ten Hag makes three changes to the Manchester United side that drew 0-0 with Aston Villa last time out in the Premier League. The injured Harry Maguire makes way while Noussair Mazraoui drops to the bench. Kobbie Mainoo is also out of the team. In their place, arrive Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, and Matthijs de Ligt.
BRENTFORD (4-2-3-1): Mark Flekken; Sepp van den Berg, Nathan Collins, Ethan Pinnock, Kristoffer Ajer; Vitaly Janelt, Christian Norgaard; Bryan Mbuemo, Mikkel Damsgaard, Keane Lewis-Potter; Kevin Schade.
Manchester United vs Brentford
14:47
SUBS: Altay Bayindir, Noussair Mazraoui, Victor Nilsson Lindelof, Jack Fletcher, Manuel Ugarte, Amad Diallo, Antony, Ethan Wheatley, Joshua Zirkzee.
Manchester United vs Brentford
14:42
MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): Andre Onana: Diogo Dalot, Matthijs de Ligt, Jonny Evans, Lisandro Martinez; Casemiro, Christian Eriksen; Alejandro Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford; Rasmus Hojlund.
Manchester United vs Brentford
14:42
Manchester United are hoping their home contest against Brentford will prove to be the start of a more consistent run of form after another turbulent spell in the Premier League campaign under divisive manager Erik ten Hag. Currently, United are in 13th place on eight points after seven matches. Manchester United earned a point in their last Premier League match, drawing 0-0 at Villa Park against Aston Villa, extending their winless streak to three (W0 D2 L1). Brentford defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers in a staggering 5-3 at home in their last league match. This ended a three-match winless streak, and left the visitors in 11th spot on 10 points through seven matches.
Manchester United vs Brentford
14:37
Hello everyone, and welcome to live text coverage of the Premier League’s Matchweek eight clash between Manchester United and Brentford at Old Trafford.
Manchester United vs Brentford
14:30
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
Manchester United vs Brentford
13:00
Follow all the goals and latest action from the Premier League here with The Independent. Team news and line-ups coming up shortly…
The toughest is still to come for first-year coach Curt Cignetti and his Hoosiers, but that group has surpassed expectations already with a perfect 6-0 record by an average of 32.7 points per game. Indiana has the No. 2 scoring offense in the country (47.5 ppg) and the No. 10 passing attack (315.3 ypg), but also a defense that ranks No. 6 against the run, No. 6 in total defense and No. 11 with an average of 14.8 points allowed per game.
Nebraska enters with a 5-1 record and has a similar formula on the defensive side of the ball, built around the Blackshirts’ ability to stop the run and suppress scoring chances. The Huskers rank No. 7 nationally against the run (84.2) and No. 7 in scoring with an average of 11.3 points per game.
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Indiana Hoosiers vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers: Know your live streaming options
FuboTV (free trial) – excellent viewer experience with huge library of live sports content; free trial lengths vary; monthly rate after free trial starts at $59.99 after current $20 discount offer.
SlingTV (low intro rate) – discounted first month is best if you’ve run out of free trials or you’re in the market for 1+ month of TV
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Indiana sits tied atop the Big Ten rankings at 6-0 overall, and 3-0 in the conference. The Cornhuskers are not far behind at 5-1, with their only loss coming to Illinois in Big Ten play. Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke has played himself into a Top 5 Heisman ranking. Nebraska Freshman QB Dylan Raiola got off to a hot start to the season but looked a bit shaky last week.
What TV channel is the Nebraska vs. Indiana football game on today?
When: Kickoff takes place at 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT) on Saturday, October 19.
Where: Memorial Stadium | Bloomington, IN
TV channel: FOX
How to watch live stream online: If you don’t have cable, you can still watch this game live for FREE with Fubo (free trial) or with DirecTV Stream (free trial). If you already have a cable or satellite subscription, you can watch the game on FOX Sports Live by signing in with your provider information.
Reba McEntire is going back to her TV roots. The Voice Coach stars in NBC’s new sitcom Happy’s Place, a new comedy set in Knoxville, Tennessee and filmed in front of a live audience.
How to Watch
Watch Happy’s Place Fridays at 8/7c on NBC and next day on Peacock.
In Happy’s Place, McEntire plays Bonnie, a woman who unexpectedly inherits her father’s tavern and has to take on all the responsibility that comes with owning a restaurant. Bonnie also learns that her father had another family she never knew about until now. Not only does Bonnie find out that a younger woman named Isabella (Belissa Escobedo) is her half sister, she’s also her new business partner.
RELATED: All About Reba McEntire New NBC Sitcom, Happy’s Place
“I can’t believe Daddy would do anything like that,” Bonnie says in the trailer. “He always said family was the most important thing.”
“Maybe that’s why he started two of them,” quips Gabby the bartender, played by McEntire’s former Reba co-star and friend Melissa Peterman.
You can hear the audience crack up at that joke and others throughout the trailer, so where is Happy’s Placefilmed? And how can you attend a taping and see the Queen of Country work her magic in front of a live studio audience? Here’s everything you need to know.
Happy’s Place is filmed in front of a live audience in Los Angeles
Like McEntire’s popular sitcom Rebafrom the early 2000s, Happy’s Place is also filmed in front of a live audience.
Happy’s Place is filmed at the Universal Studios Lot in Los Angeles, California, so if you happen to be in the area you could attend a live taping of an upcoming episode.
How can you get tickets to a live taping of Happy’s Place?
To request a ticket to a live taping of Happy’s Place, go to the 1iota website. Select a filming date, the number of tickets you’d like to request (the maximum is four), mention why you’d like to attend a taping, and then create an account.
Anyone attending a taping must be at least 18 years old and will need to present a valid ID when you check in. Once you request a ticket, you will receive an email with further information and instructions.
Keep in mind, however, that requesting a ticket does not mean you have a guaranteed seat in the audience. “Fans are processed first come, first serve until capacity is reached,” the website explains. “Tickets are issued in excess of capacity; therefore, a ticket may not guarantee admittance.”
RELATED: Reba McEntire Says These Voice Coaches Want to Cameo on Her New Show Happy’s Place
When are the live tapings of Happy’s Place in 2024?
While several episodes for Happy’s Place Season 1 have already been filmed, you can still request to attend a handful of future dates:
Zachary And Carissa J.: If you aren’t a Broncos or Saints fan and are still watching this then it’s time to look in the mirror.
Saints fan Dale F.: Welp I was wrong. They did throttle us like Tampa did. Guess I’m stuck wearing orange to my Colorado in-laws at Christmas after all—probably should have waited until after Week 3 to make that bet haha.
Steven M.: I said it on draft night: everyone was so focused on Atlanta picking Penix that nobody talked about how bad the Nix pick was.
This year’s edition of the Third Saturday in October rivalry feels like a College Football Playoff eliminator. No. 7 Alabama (5-1) and No. 11 Tennessee (5-1) are both coming off stressful wins preceded by surprise losses.
Tennessee needed overtime to beat Florida, 23-17, a week after a road loss to Arkansas. Meanwhile, Alabama barely held off South Carolina, 27-25, following its stunning upset at Vanderbilt. Each fanbase is nervous about how wobbly Alabama and Tennessee have looked in recent weeks.
Both teams have the talent to be real SEC and national championship contenders, but the path gets considerably harder with a loss on Saturday. Especially when you remember Alabama still has No. 19 Missouri and No. 8 LSU on the schedule, and Tennessee has a road trip to No. 5 Georgia on Nov. 16. A loss Saturday will demand perfection the rest of the way while a win will go a long way come selection day.
Follow along with LIVE updates from Alabama vs. Tennessee on Saturday
How to watch Alabama vs. Tennessee live
Date: Saturday, Oct. 19 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET Location: Neyland Stadium — Knoxville, Tennessee TV: ABC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Alabama vs. Tennessee: Need to know
QB play needs to be better: Jalen Milroe shot up the Heisman Trophy betting odds after Alabama’s win over Georgia but has fallen back to earth in his last two games. He is currently at +1200 to take home college football’s most prestigious award, according to DraftKings. There’s still a tendency to try to do too much, leading to bad decisions and bad situational awareness at times. Throwing two interceptions and taking a safety against the Gamecocks has to get cleaned up to win against Tennessee. The Volunteers’ starting QB Nico Iamaleava may have the opposite problem, focusing so much on not making a major mistake that Tennessee is missing explosive play opportunities. Iamaleava hasn’t broken the 200-yard mark since Game 2 and has thrown for only one total touchdown in three SEC conference games. Tennessee can rely on a strong ground game, but it still needs a lot more from its ballyhooed starting quarterback.
Tennessee’s defense is legit: Under Josh Heupel, the Vols have made the most noise with what they do offensively, but this year the defense has carried them. Led by defensive coordinator Tim Banks, Tennessee’s defense has been superb in 2024. As our Brandon Marcello pointed out in his great Banks profile, Tennessee ranks second nationally in total defense (249.8 yards per game), yards per play (4), yards per rush (2.2) and third-down conversions allowed (23.8 percent). Tennessee faces its toughest test yet against Milroe, Ryan Williams and the rest of that Alabama offense, but its defensive line should cause some problems against an average Alabama offensive line.
Expect a rollicking game: Last season Tennessee raced out to a 20-7 halftime lead in Tuscaloosa only for Jalen Milroe and the Crimson Tide to dominate the second half and win 34-20. Two years ago, Tennessee also got out to a hot start (21-7 first quarter lead). Alabama stormed back but the Volunteers held the Tide off for a wild 52-49 finish that ended with the goalposts paraded around Knoxville that night. It’ll be rocking inside Neyland Stadium and no matter which team gets off to an early lead, buckle up for what should be a lively back-and-forth affair between two teams with plenty of experience in high-stakes rivalry games.
Alabama vs. Tennessee prediction, picks
Both teams have been inconsistent this season with highs like Alabama’s win over Georgia and Tennessee’s over Oklahoma paired with shocking lows of road losses. Alabama is the more explosive team and has shown it can win in a track meet-type game, but its defense has left a lot to be desired so far this season. Vanderbilt straight up outplayed Alabama’s defense and got what it needed over and over again on third down. Tennessee should have success running the ball against the Tide, but there remain questions whether Nico Iamaleava can make enough big plays to win a game like this. To this point this season, he hasn’t been able to though it largely hasn’t caught up to Tennessee outside of the Arkansas loss. With what should be a raucous environment, you are best off betting Tennessee to cover in a tight one. Pick: Tennessee +3
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SportsLine’s proven computer model is calling for five outright upsets in Week 8 of college football. Visit SportsLine now to see them all, plus get spread picks for every game from the model that simulates each game 10,000 times.
The Florida Gators (3-2) are at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville this evening for a matchup with the Tennessee Volunteers (4-1). Kickoff time is set for 7:00 p.m. Follow along here for live game updates.
FINAL: Tennessee 23, Florida 17 – It was far from the start to the overtime period that Florida’s offense was looking. A three-and-out led to a 47-yard field goal attempt by Smack that missed wide to the right. Tennessee’s offense took over and constructed a five-play 25-yard scoring drive capped off by a one-yard rushing touchdown by Sampson.
End of regulation: Tennessee 17, Florida 17
Q4: 00:14 Tennessee had a chance to move into field goal range to seemingly end the game, but UT wide receiver Chas Nimrod dropped a pass from Iamaleava that hit him right in the hands on a crossing route.
Q4: SCORE – An explosive 27-yard punt return by Dike set the Gators up in Tennessee territory before Lagway delivered a 27-yard dart to Dike across the middle of the field to tie the game at 17-17 with under one minute left in the game.
Q4 – NOTE: Florida’s offense has struggled immensely in the fourth quarter. The Gators have totaled just 15 yards of total offense and are 0-for-4 on third down.
Q4: 9:47 – SCORE: Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson broke through the heart of the Gators defense to give the Volunteers the lead just two plays after an impressive 17-yard punt return that put the Vols at Florida’s 29-yard line.
Q4: 10:21 – Florida was called for a delay of game penalty on 3rd-and-10 that backed the Gators up to their three-yard line before Lagway’s pass intended for Wilson III fell incomplete on 3rd-and-13.
Q4: 12:12 – Iamaleava scrambled on 3rd-and-8 to midfield but was brought down short of the first down marker by Florida sophomore edge Kamran James. Jackson Ross delivered an impressive punt down to the six-yard line.
Q4: 14:04 – It was decision time for Billy Napier as the Gators faced 4th-and-2 at Tennessee’s 38-yard line. Florida elected to go for it, however, Lagway’s short pass on a slant route to Wilson III fell incomplete. Iamaleava and UT’s offense have the ball with a chance to take its first lead of the game.
END OF THIRD QUARTER: FLORIDA 10, TENNESSEE 10 – It looks like Florida will be hobbling its way to the finish line in this one, as both starting quarterback Graham Mertz and starting running back Montrell Johnson Jr. will likely miss the remainder of today’s contest with a pair of respective lower body injuries. All signs point to true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway finishing this game out for the Gators, who will look to reclaim their lead after giving up 10 unanswered points to the Volunteers to close out the third quarter.
Q3 | 1:37 – Tennessee can’t get anything going offensively following Arion Carter’s interception, but kicker Max Gilbert still manages to convert on a 35-yard field goal to make this a tie ball game. Florida 10, Tennessee 10
Q3 | 2:47 – DJ Lagway replaces a hobbled Graham Mertz on Florida’s subsequent drive and immediately throws an interception. Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter picks off the Florida freshman signal caller and takes it to the UF 20-yard line, as the Volunteers are now in prime position to take their first lead of the night.
Q3 | 2:57 – Tennessee takes it all the way down to its own 6-yard line before facing a 4th-and-1. The Volunteers go for it, and get more than they bargained for, as running back Dylan Sampson cruises into the end zone to get UT on the board. Florida 10, Tennessee 7
Q3 | 5:44 – Iamaleava finally connects with one of his receivers on a deep ball, this time finding Chris Brazzell on a 23-yard dot to flip the field for the Volunteers. Tennessee looks to be driving in response to Florida’s score less than three minutes ago.
Q3 | 7:18 – Mertz finds Arlis Boardingham down the left sideline for a 13-yard touchdown, and the Gators are now up by two scores. However, Mertz appears to have been shaken up after the throw, as he limped off the field in pain as Boardingham celebrated in the end zone. Florida 10, Tennessee 0
Q3 | INJURY UPDATE – Johnson Jr. was injured on his big run, with his knee being twisted as he went down on the tackle. If he is unable to return, this could prove to be a big loss for an already-depleted Florida running back room.
Q3 | 9:35 – Florida’s offense is rolling once more. Graham Mertz opens up the new drive by finding Haysen Hansen and Chimere Dike on back-to-back first down gainers. Montrell Johnson Jr. follows suit with a 20-yard run to cross over into Tennessee territory.
Q3 | 11:32 – The Gators’ defense responds by forcing a three-and-out of their own, with Sharif Denson and Tyreak Sapp teaming up for a tackle for loss on third down to force another Volunteers punt. Florida will take back over at its own 8 to start the following drive.
Q3 | 13:13 – Florida’s start to the second half goes from bad to worse, as DJ Lagway is downed for a four-yard sack on third down to force the Gators to punt from their own end zone. As a result, Tennessee will start the next drive at its own 42-yard line.
Q3 | 15:00 – The second half starts off with a chaotic kickoff, as Florida is whistled for an illegal blindside block that initially was reviewed for targeting. However, officials determined that there was no targeting on the play; the illegal block penalty, however, stood, backing up Florida to its own 13 to start the half.
HALFTIME NOTE: Tennessee entered Saturday’s game against the Gators as the No. 5 rushing team in the nation. The Vols have totaled just 41 yards of rushing yards in the first half and haven’t been able to muster much of anything offensively.
HALFTIME NOTE: Florida is just 1-for-4 in its red zone attempts thus far and could easily possess a 20-plus point lead heading into the break. Though, a turnover and questionable play calling in the first half certainly played a factor.
HALFTIME: FLORIDA 3, TENNESSEE 0 – UF kicker Trey Smack’s 43-yard field goal attempt as time expired in the first half was good; however, Florida was penalized for having 12 men on the field, leading to a 10-second runoff on the game clock.
Q2: 1:11 – Iamaleava’s pass on 1st-and-10 in UT territory was intercepted by Florida defensive back Sharif Denson and returned for 20 yards setting up 1st-and-10 for the Gators at Tennessee’s 22-yard line.
Q2: 3:03 – Mertz drove the Gators down to UT’s 1-yard line before fumbling the ball and turning it over to the Volunteers. Tennessee will take back possession just in front of its own goal line.
Q2: 5:28 – An explosive 23-yard burst up the middle by UF running back Montrell Johnson Jr. followed by a huge truck stick against a Tennessee defender sets up 1st-and-10 for the Gators in Tennessee territory.
Q2: 6:25 – Mertz is set to re-enter for the Gators at quarterback following Lagway’s first and only drive of the game that resulted in a turnover. On his first play back in as signal caller, Mertz delivered a 17-yard strike to tight end Hayden Hansen on 1st-and-10 moving the ball to UF’s 37-yard line.
Q2: 8:14 – The Gators come away with a massive break as Iamaleava’s deep pass intended for Squirrel White was incomplete as the speedy wideout was streaking wide open down the middle of the field.
Q2: 8:52 – Montrell Johnson Jr. caught an 8-yard pass on 3rd-and-9 from Lagway setting up 4th-and-1 before Napier called a jet sweep pass to Wilson III who was smothered at the line of scrimmage. Tennessee takes back possession of the football at UT’s 18-yard line.
Q2: 13:46 – Lagway completes corner route to senior wideout Chimere Dike for a pickup of 17 yards to UF’s 31-yard line.
Q2: 15:00 – On the first play of the second quarter, Iamaleava was sacked for a loss of three yards at midfield on 3rd-and-26. Tennessee punts it away deep into UF territory as five-star freshman quarterback DJ Lagway has entered the game for the Gators for the first time.
END OF FIRST QUARTER: FLORIDA 3, TENNESSEE 0 – Florida’s defense came to play this evening. Through the first 15 minutes of tonight’s contest, the Gators have already come away with a fumble recovery and a pair of sacks to keep the Volunteers off the board to this point. Offensively, Florida has struggled to get anything going on the ground, averaging just 1.8 yards per carry so far tonight. In the air, Graham Mertz is currently 4-for-6 for 38 yards tonight. DJ Lagway is expected to take to the field for the first time tonight upon Florida getting the ball back.
Q1 | 0:00 – As the clock hits all zeros at the end of the first quarter, Florida’s defense comes roaring back with a pair of sacks to back Tennessee out of field goal range. Credit linebacker Jaden Robinson and edge rusher Tyreak Sapp on the back-to-back sacks to take the Volunteers out of striking distance.
Q1 | 1:11 – Nico Iamaleava has a 22-yard scramble called back on a holding call, but he gets those yards right back on a 20-yard pass down the middle to Chris Brazzell II for a fresh set of downs inside Florida territory.
Q1 | 3:15 – UF running back Jadan Baugh is stuffed for a loss of four yards on 3rd-and-1, forcing the Gators to settle for a 42-yard field goal. Trey Smack sends it through the uprights with ease, as Florida is now officially on the board first in this one. Florida 3, Tennessee 0
Q1 | 5:15 – Florida looks to be driving following a pair of third-down conversions on the ground from Mertz. The Gators will line up for 1st-and-10 at the Tennessee 29-yard line.
Q1 | INJURY UPDATE – Tennessee veteran linebackerKeenan Pili has officially been ruled out for the rest of tonight’s game.
Q1 | 8:06 – After running the ball on three consecutive plays, Tennessee is held to a quick three-and-out before being forced to punt out of its own end zone. Florida will take back over with excellent field position, as the Gators will start the next drive on their own 49.
Q1 | 9:58 – After UF quarterback Graham Mertz opens up Florida’s first offensive drive with back-to-back first down passes, the Gators end up stalling out near the middle of the field and are forced to punt the ball away to the Tennessee 10-yard line. Potential injury to watch out for: Volunteers linebacker and defensive captain Keenan Pili needed to be helped off the field after sustaining an apparent knee injury on UT’s third down stop.
Q1 | 12:32 (TENNESSEE TURNOVER) – Florida stops Tennessee right in its tracks with a fumble scooped up by linebacker Grayson “Pup” Howard. The Volunteers end up empty-handed in their opening drive, as the Gators will take over on their own 26.
Q1 | 13:45 – Tennessee opens up tonight’s action with some quick no-huddle offense, with quarterback Nico Iamaleava flipping the field on a 24-yard third-down strike to wide receiver Squirrel White. The Volunteers will now line up at the UF 33-yard line for a fresh 1st-and-10.
Q1 | 15:00 (KICKOFF) – Florida wins the coin toss and elects to defer possession to the second half. Following a touchback on the opening kick, Tennessee will start on its own 25-yard line.
Portugal travel to Poland after consecutive wins to sit top of their UEFA Nations League pool — League A Group 1 — after the opening two games. Cristiano Ronaldo inspired them over the September games which puts the Portuguese three points clear of the Polish ahead of this one.
Roberto Martinez has kept faith in Ronaldo who is intent on making it to the FIFA 2026 World Cup despite being 39 now. Wins against Poland and Scotland this break can book a quarterfinal place via a top two finish. Unbeaten in six against Poland, they will be favorites coming into this one.
The Polish are coming off the back of a poor UEFA Euro 2024 showing and Michal Probierz is now in charge of getting the most out of an aging squad. World Cup 2026 will be the aim but avoiding UNL relegation will be about objective and a knockout phase berth is still possible. Third in the group would mean a relegation playoff so second place will be very much the main focus of efforts for the rest of 2024.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
Ronaldo secured a narrow win over Croatia as part of the double header with Scotland as well which produced six points. A 900th professional goal for the Portuguese superstar helped to soften the blow post-Euro 2024 before another late effort to beat the Scottish. In Poland, there are opponents who also rely on an aging goal scorer with Robert Lewandowski on 84 international goals after last month’s win over Scotland. The Polish went down to Croatia though which means that both share three points ahead of the Scots.
Team news
Poland: Maxi Oyedele and Michael Ameyaw are new faces but Jan Bednarek, Piotr Zielinski and Lewandowski are all veterans now. Arkadiusz Milik is out injured so Karol Swiderski or Krzysztof Piatek should partner with the Barcelona hitman up top.
Portugal: Ricardo Velho and Samu Costa are also new faces while Francisco Conceicao is back but both Geovany Quenda and Pedro Goncalves are missing. Martinez could go 4-3-3 here with Ronaldo and Rafael Leao two of the three most attacking players in that XI.
Possible Portugal XI: Costa; Dalot, Dias, A. Silva, Mendes; B. Silva, Vitinha, Fernandes; Neto, Ronaldo, Leao.
Prediction
It will be tight but expect the Portuguese to get a narrow win and do not be surprised if it comes through Ronaldo. Poland need to target their other games to secure second ahead of Croatia. Pick: Poland 0, Portugal 1.
Anderson Cooper was hit by flying debris during a live broadcast Wednesday while reporting on Hurricane Milton in Florida.
The CNN anchor was reporting from the shore of the Manatee River in Bradenton, Fla., south of Tampa, describing the scene as violent winds blew past him and heavy rainfall drenched him and his equipment.
“The water now is really starting to pour over,” Cooper said as he trudged through the water, which was gushing over the bank he was walking on.
“If you look at the ground, whoa…,” he said, stopping short as a white object slammed into his torso. “OK, that wasn’t good.”
The “Anderson Cooper 360” host resumed his reporting, noting that he would probably go inside shortly. “But you can see the amount of water here on the ground. This is water from the Manatee River.”
The footage then cut to the CNN studio and “The Source” anchor Kaitlan Collins reassured viewers about her colleague.
“I do want to note for everyone watching who is very concerned obviously about all of our correspondents and anchors on the ground, Anderson is OK,” she said. “Just obviously understandably difficult to establish a connection when you’re seeing what’s happening with the wind and the rain. And obviously the deteriorating conditions by the minute.”
Cooper, who joined CNN in 2001, has repeatedly reported from the scenes of crises, famously decamping to the Gulf Coast for much of September 2005 to deliver emotionally wrought reports about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina’s destruction.
Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key — a barrier island near Sarasota — around 8:30 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday. It left a path of destruction in its wake, with surges up to 10 feet and 120-mph winds that pounded communities across the state, flooded homes, downed trees and cut power to 3 million Floridians. Milton is the third hurricane to make landfall in Florida this year; it comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene barrelled into the rural Big Bend region of the state’s panhandle, then moved on to Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee, killing more than 230 people across multiple states.
As Milton pulled offshore Thursday morning and moved onto the Atlantic Ocean, it weakened to a Category 1 hurricane, but officials warned that a large swath of the state’s east coast was still under threat. In St. Petersburg, the hurricane tore most of the roof off Tropicana Field, the Tampa Bay Rays’ stadium. It also pushed a construction crane off the roof of a partially built luxury high-rise onto an office building that houses the offices of the Tampa Bay Times newspaper.
Times staff writer Jenny Jarvie and intern Sandra McDonald contributed to this report.
England suffered their first defeat under Lee Carsley in a thrilling and frustrating encounter with Greece at Wembley. Having named an attacking and experimental line-up Carsley watched on in shock as his team were outclassed on the turf whilst struggling to utilise the talents of Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka in a coherent way.
The Greeks should have led at half-time. They had a goal disallowed after Jordan Pickford made some quickfire errors in an uncharacteristically nervous performance. They did lead just after the break with Vangelis Pavlidis weaving through three defenders to slot a low effort past the goalkeeper.
Two more disallowed goals for Greece tells the story of a shaky English defence that lacked substance. The progression nature of the full backs too often allowing space on the counter and leaving John Stones and Levi Colwill with too much to do. In the dying stages Jude Bellingham smoked in a rocket strike that almost nicked England a point.
The deciding moment though came to Pavlidis. England scrambled in the box once again and knocked the ball to the striker who took his chance and secured a first ever win against the Three Lions for Greece.
Relive the Nations League action with our live blog below:
England vs Greece LIVE
REPORT: England’s failed experiment gives one answer to Lee Carsley – but asks another about him
RATINGS: Saka and Foden fail to shine in Nations League defeat
90+4’ GOAL! Pavlidis wins it in stoppage time (ENG 1-2 GRE)
87’ GOAL! Bellingham’s rocket equalises for England (ENG 1-1 GRE)
85’ DISALLOWED! Pavlidis’ second is ruled out for offside (ENG 0-1 GRE)
83’ GOAL! Pavlidis doubles Greece’s lead in the dying moments (ENG 0-2 GRE)
49’ GOAL! Pavlidis dribbles through the box and beats Pickford (ENG 0-1 GRE)
10’ DISALLOWED! Multiple errors from Pickford result in a Greece goal but it gets chalked off (ENG 0-0 GRE)
No threat from England
Thursday 10 October 2024 22:47 , Mike Jones
Jude Bellingham’s 87th minute equaliser was England’s first shot on target since the third minute (also from Bellingham).
A long wait for Solanke
Thursday 10 October 2024 22:44 , Mike Jones
Dominic Solanke made his second appearance for England, six years and 331 days after winning his first cap for the Three Lions. It’s the fourth longest gap between a player winning their first two caps for the men’s side.
England boss Lee Carsley on ITV:
Thursday 10 October 2024 22:41 , Mike Jones
“We were second best for a lot of tonight, it is disappointing. You are going to get set backs and it’s important we respond.
“We tried something different and tried to overload the midfield. We tried it for 20 minutes yesterday, we experimented, and disappointed it didn’t come off. It’s unrealistic to expect too much and we will have to try again. All the goals were from mistakes, which is disappointing.
“It is definitely an option going forward. When you have someone of Kane’s quality though it rules it out when he is available. But in the future you have to have the courage and ability to try things.
“We tried something different. It doesn’t change anything. My remit is to do the three camps.”
Greece goal hero dedicates win over England to George Baldock following former teammate’s death
Thursday 10 October 2024 22:37 , Mike Jones
Greece beat England 2-1 at Wembley on Thursday night, with the match-winner Vangelis Pavlidis dedicating the performance as well as the victory to former teammate George Baldock, who passed away earlier in the week.
Baldock, who qualified to represent Greece through a grandparent, won a dozen caps for the national team and had been in the squad earlier this year. But Greek football was rocked when the national association confirmed on Wednesday that he had been found dead at age 31 in a swimming pool at home, just days after featuring for his club Panathinaikos.
The defender played for Sheffield United for seven years in England, among other teams, before a summer switch to the Greek Super League.
Greece goal hero dedicates win over England to Baldock after death
Pavlidis speaking to ITV about George Baldock:
Thursday 10 October 2024 22:34 , Mike Jones
“It was a really special day for us because of George. We are people and it’s a special night because of him.
“[We have thought about him] a lot since we heard it yesterday. A difficult moment for us because George was part of the team. Special guy. We have to play for him and it doesn’t matter the score today. We gave everything for him.”
Stones offers condolences for Baldock’s family
Thursday 10 October 2024 22:31 , Mike Jones
England captain John Stones on the death of Greece defender George Baldock: “For everyone in the dressing room and The FA, condolences to his family.
“A few of the boys were close to him. We knew it wasn’t an easy day for them. Hendo [Dean Henderson] was close to him, it wasn’t easy for him with that news.”
A night to forget for England
Thursday 10 October 2024 22:28 , Mike Jones
Greece are the lowest ranked (48th) side to beat England in a competitive match since Northern Ireland (116th) in September 2005, and the lowest ever on record to do so on English soil.
A historic night for Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 22:25 , Mike Jones
Greece have beaten England for the first time ever (drawn two, lost seven). Their goals tonight were their first ever scored at Wembley Stadium.
Greece’s matchwinner: Vangelis Pavlidis
Thursday 10 October 2024 22:22 , Mike Jones
(EPA)
(Action Images via Reuters)
Paul Robinson speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live
Thursday 10 October 2024 22:18 , Mike Jones
The former England goalkeeper said: “Very, very emotional evening for Greece.
“Wembley is empty apart from the blue shirts over in that corner. They’ve made an occasion for what is a very sad day. They’re still on the pitch now.”
The winning moment
Thursday 10 October 2024 22:13 , Mike Jones
It’s probably fair to say that England lost this game rather than Greece won it. Vangelis Pavlidis though had a stormer and took his chances when they came.
What a performance. This is his winning goal:
Greece dedicate win to George Baldock
Thursday 10 October 2024 22:07 , Mike Jones
The Greek team have had a ride of emotions over the last 24 hours. The news that George Baldock had passed away in Athens at just 31 years old will have rocked the squad.
Baldock represented Greece and the players have dedicated this win to him and his family.
(Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)
England captain John Stones on ITV:
Thursday 10 October 2024 22:04 , Mike Jones
“On a personal note, absolutely gutted. To have a result like that with the armband for the first time.
“We prepared like we normally do and it didn’t come off. From the start they put us right under pressure. They were very compact.
“We know the system as players and when we are out there as players we we have to deliver. The onus is on us to deliver – and we didn’t.
“A difficult night, a lot was riding on it for me personally and we saw it as a great opportunity to top the group. We have to move forward.”
Can England win the group?
Thursday 10 October 2024 22:00 , Mike Jones
England can still earn automatic promotion out of League B in the Nations League but they will now need to win, and win big, against the Greeks away from home.
Not to mention, they’ll need to beat Finland and Republic of Ireland again as we can assume Greece won’t slip up against either of those teams.
Bellingham scores a cracker
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:57 , Mike Jones
Let’s rewind a touch. Here’s Jude Bellingham’s equaliser and what a goal this is. It’s also Bellingham’s first goal of the season:
England suffer first defeat under Lee Carsley
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:54 , Mike Jones
Not the night England wanted.
(The FA via Getty Images)
(John Walton/PA Wire)
(REUTERS)
England player ratings vs Greece as Saka and Foden fail to shine in Nations League defeat
Despite playing a whole collection of attacking options, the Three Lions were largely dismal and lacking cohesion in possession, and lacking bodies and structure out of it, leading to Greece having a succession of chances on the counter-attack.
Vangelis Pavlidis eventually found a route to goal after dribbling through the defence, only for Jude Bellingham to score a late equaliser for what looked like it would prevent Carsley suffering a first defeat – but another defensive mix-up saw Pavlidis rifle in the winner.
Here are the player ratings from Wembley.
Player ratings as Saka and Foden flop in dismal England defeat
FT England 1-2 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:49 , Mike Jones
England suffered their first defeat under Lee Carsley in a thrilling and frustrating encounter with Greece at Wembley. Having named an attacking and experimental line-up Carsley watched on in shock as his team were outclassed on the turf whilst struggling to utilise the talents of Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka in a coherent way.
The Greeks should have led at half-time. They had a goal disallowed after Jordan Pickford made some quickfire errors in an uncharacteristically nervous performance. They did lead just after the break with Vangelis Pavlidis weaving through three defenders to slot a low effort past the goalkeeper.
Two more disallowed goals for Greece tells the story of a shaky English defence that lacked substance. The progression nature of the full backs too often allowing space on the counter and leaving John Stones and Levi Colwill with too much to do. In the dying stages Jude Bellingham smoked in a rocket strike that almost nicked England a point.
The deciding moment though came to Pavlidis. England scrambled in the box once again and knocked the ball to the striker who took his chance and secured a first ever win against the Three Lions for Greece.
Full-time! England 1-2 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:42 , Mike Jones
90+5 mins: The full time whistle goes.
Greece earn a historic win at Wembley and they deserved it. It was a superb performance from the visitors as Lee Carsley’s experiement didn’t work.
Jude Bellingham almost secured a point but Vangelis Pavlidis stepped up to the plate and his two goals keep Greece at the top of Group B2.
GOAL! England 1-2 Greece (Vangelis Pavlidis, 90+4’)
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:39 , Mike Jones
90+4 mins: This one should stand!
England are terrible in defence once more. There’s pressure and a lack of leadership in the box as Greece burst forward. A huge scramble sees the ball squirt out to Pavlidis who takes his opportunity.
Greece go ahead again and that should secure them the points.
England 1-1 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:37 , Mike Jones
90+2 mins: It’s the Greeks who look a little flummoxed now. They deserved to be in front and seem to have been flattened by the equaliser.
They’re happy with a point too. The players are strolling around the pitch, not moving quickly, just trying to take time out of the game.
England 1-1 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:35 , Mike Jones
90 mins: Is there time for a winning goal? Bellingham thinks so.
A deep free kick is played out to the right before coming back to Alexander-Arnold. He floats a cross to the far side of the box where Madueke arrives and pokes a shot into the side netting.
Five minutes of added time to play. England couldn’t, could they?
GOAL! England 1-1 Greece (Jude Bellingham, 87’)
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:33 , Mike Jones
87 mins: Jude Bellingham rescues England!
That’s a story that’s been played out before. Ollie Watkins is played into the box on the right side of the pitch. He pulls it back and doesn’t find a teammate in the area.
Bellingham runs onto the ball from deep and rattles a rocket towards goal which beats Vlachodimos and brings the Three Lions level at Wembley.
England 0-1 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:30 , Mike Jones
85 mins: Reprieve for England!
Greece’s second goal is ruled out for offside as Pavlidis just edge ahead of the ball before Tzolis played the pass across to him. Greece have scored four times tonight with only one of those efforts being legitimate.
What a performance from them.
GOAL! England 0-2 Greece (Pavlidis, 83’)
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:28 , Mike Jones
83 mins: Boom!
Pavlidis doubles Greece’s lead. It’s a quick break through Tzolis down the left side after England give the ball away. Tzolis drives up the pitch, goes into the box and squares the ball to the forward who turns it home.
England 0-1 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:27 , Mike Jones
81 mins: The frustration is growing amongst the England players but not so the crowd. They’re trying to encourage England on, get them up the pitch and inspire them to score an equaliser.
Greece aren’t letting them though. They have a good defence and look likely to shut the Three Lions out. Will there be some late drama?
England 0-1 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:23 , Mike Jones
78 mins: Madueke goes on a nice run alongside the edge of the penalty area but there’s no final ball nor a shot meaning his gets dispossessed.
The Chelsea forward then wins a corner with his next attack. Trent Alexander-Arnold curls in the delivery but Tzolis is there to nod the ball away.
England 0-1 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:18 , Mike Jones
75 mins: Now then. Here comes Dominic Solanke.
He’s brought on to replace Phil Foden and makes a first appearance for England in seven years following his debut in 2017. Can the Tottenham striker rescue this match for the Three Lions?
England 0-1 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:17 , Mike Jones
72 mins: A long ball comes over the top and finds Jude Bellingham. He has a quick glance at the goalkeeper then looks to lob Vlachodimos from range and gets it all wrong.
The chances goes begging for England and Bellingham knows that was the wrong decision.
England 0-1 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:15 , Mike Jones
69 mins: Greece send a corner into the box that Bellingham and Madueke deal with. The visitors recycle the ball and whip it back into the box where Jordan Pickford again fumbles an attempted clearance.
It’s been a night to forget for the England No.1.
England 0-1 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:12 , Mike Jones
66 mins: Carsley is trying to be proactive. He’s issuing orders and instructions from the manager’s box and trying to keep the energy levels up.
England’s performance has just been flat throughout the game.
England 0-1 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:10 , Mike Jones
63 mins: Can England recover from this position? Under Gareth Southgate there would be a confidence in the team that they were never out of the game.
Is that same belief there under Lee Carsley?
With Watkins on the pitch, there’s a more recognised shape to England with a central focal point. He’s already had one good chance, there’ll probably be another before full-time.
England 0-1 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:08 , Miguel Delaney at Wembley
“OK, it can probably be said the experiment is on the brink of failure.
“It is right now on the brink of defeat, as Greece lead 1-0 after Vangelis Pavlidis’s goal. He just managed to work his way through to finish in a way you might expect of a team with so few defensive players. Before getting into the tactical technical detail, it is worth recognising the sad emotion.
“The Greek players were in tears as they celebrated for former teammate George Baldock.
“They have been driven by emotion tonight, but also their focus and fine tactical set-up. Against that, England have looked so shapeless. Is that a surprise when the Premier League’s most productive playmaker is used as a passing midfielder alongside Declan Rice?
“The team is actually so uninspiring – despite so much creativity in it – that it’s hard not to at least muse whether Lee Carsley has picked an inverse Jose Mourinho-style team that is part political point. “This is the team you all wanted.” Will people ask for all the stars again after this?
“It’s almost like he went too far, giving far too much of the creativity that people craved after Gareth Southgate. England could suddenly do with some order.”
England 0-1 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:06 , Mike Jones
60 mins: An hour played at Wembley with England needing to find something special. Ollie Watkins almost brings it after getting played into the penalty area.
He strikes it strongly but smokes the first time shot over the crossbar!
England 0-1 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 21:05 , Mike Jones
58 mins: Lee Carsley makes his first tactical substitution with Ollie Watkins introduced to replace Anthony Gordon. That will give England a target to aim for in the forward line and the Aston Villa striker isn’t afraid to shoot.
Disallowed!
Greece score again after a long ball comes up to Koulierakis. He plays it inside to Pavlidis who carries the ball into the box and sets up a teammate to score.
Pavlidis was offside though and the flag is raised immediately.
England 0-1 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:59 , Mike Jones
55 mins: England are wobbling here. They don’t look comfortable at all defensively and Jordan Pickford is called into action to flap a shot away.
The pragmatism of the Gareth Southgate era is not at all on display tonight.
England 0-1 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:58 , Mike Jones
52 mins: With that goal, England have conceded for the first time under Lee Carsley. How will the manager repsond?
Bukayo Saka went down off the ball and had to be taken off the pitch. Noni Madueke is the man called on to replace him which shouldn’t affect the formation.
GOAL! England 0-1 Greece (Pavlidis, 49’)
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:55 , Mike Jones
49 mins: That’s a cracking goal!
England are all at sea at the back as Greece pile the pressure on. Konstantinos Koulierakis drives down the inside left channel before slipping it to Vangelis Pavlidis.
He weaves in between three English defenders then curls a low effort past Jordan Pickford into the back of the net!
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:52 , Mike Jones
48 mins: Nearly!
Alexander-Arnold chips the ball down the line for Saka then sprints up to the penalty area. Saka keeps hold of the ball then slips Alexander-Arnold into the box.
The defender backheels it hoping to set up Foden but his pass is off target and Greece clear their lines.
It was a slick, quick move from the hosts that almost came off.
Second half! England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:50 , Mike Jones
Greece get the match back underway at Wembley.
Lee Carsley hasn’t made any changes at the break so it’s as you were for England. Can they improve and get the opening goal?
HT England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:46 , Mike Jones
Here’s a look at Levi Colwill’s heroics and Jordan Pickford’s error that almost resulted in the opening goal:
HT England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:42 , Mike Jones
Anyone fancy a few stats?
England created seven chances in the first half with just one on target. Despite having only 40% possession, Greece almost matched them with six chances and one on target.
Those chances don’t include the attempt that was cleared off the line nor the Greek disallowed goal.
Greece are calm and dangerous and can easily win this game if England don’t come up with a solution.
HT England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:38 , Mike Jones
(EPA)
(Adam Davy/PA Wire)
(Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)
Half-time! England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:34 , Mike Jones
45 mins: No minutes of added time to play. The whistle goes with Greece having created the better chances over the first half.
Lee Carsley’s experiment hasn’t worked, will he stick with it or switch things up after the break?
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:33 , Miguel Delaney at Wembley
“Carsley’s experiment hasn’t really worked so far.
“Although England have weathered the way Greece got at them in those opening stages – not a great night for Jordan Pickford – there still isn’t really coherence.
“The team currently looks like what it is: a lot of players out of position. It should be stressed that is actually fair enough.
“If there is ever time to experiment with an England team, it is surely in a Nations League home match when you’ve already won your first two games?”
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:31 , Mike Jones
43 mins: Another England corner, won be the pacey sprinting of Phil Foden and Anthony Gordon.
Trent Alexander-Arnold swings the ball into the middle of the box but once again the Three Lions fail to trouble the Greek defence.
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:27 , Mike Jones
40 mins: Alexander-Arnold dinks the set piece into the penalty area this time, looking for John Stones near the back post. The ball gets intercepted and looped into the air before Vlachodimos takes control of it.
Not England’s best set piece.
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:26 , Mike Jones
39 mins: The corner is taken short and sent to Palmer. He lifts a cross into the middle but Mavropanos rises higher than anyone else and nods it away.
Foden then wins a free kick in a dangerous position and Palmer willm fancy his chances again.
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:25 , Mike Jones
37 mins: Foden and Bellingham combine on the edge of the box with some short, sharp passes but Foden can’t find enough space inside the area to take a shot.
The ball is sent back to John Stones but England come again quickly. They find Bukayo Saka who cuts onto his left foot and shoots winning England a corner.
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:23 , Mike Jones
34 mins: England are still trying to get things to click. The players don’t look well drilled enough for this formation to work properly (they aren’t as they’ve only had three sessions to practice it).
What it is doing though is making the game entertaining. The fans inside the ground seem to be enjoying themselves.
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:18 , Mike Jones
31 mins: Chance!
A cross comes in from deep with pace on it as Anthony Gordon bursts through the defence. He’s wide open but a ways out from goal when he attempts a headed effort.
He gets plenty of the ball but nods it over the top.
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:16 , Mike Jones
29 mins: This is better from England. Palmer is dictating from midfield and tries to feed the ball through a small gap for Saka. Giannoulis intercepts and clears but the Three Lions recover the ball and send it over to Gordon.
Gordon carries it into the box, goes on the outside and wins a corner as Lazaros Rota turns the ball out of play.
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:13 , Mike Jones
26 mins: Bakasetas goes form goal from a long way out but is charged down by Declan Rice. The visitors are enjoying their night here as England’s formation is providing them a lot of space to run into.
England’s attacking prowess means they need to control the game and so far they haven’t been able to.
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:11 , Mike Jones
24 mins: Close!
It’s end-to-end stuff this. Anthony Gordon takes the ball into space on the left before slipping a pass into the box for Jude Bellingham.
He manages to shift to the right before passing it across to Cole Palmer. Palmer shoots but whips the ball over the top!
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:09 , Mike Jones
21 mins: Chance!
Alexander-Arnold gives the ball away and Christos Tzolis flies down the left hand side. Dimitris Giannoulis makes an overlapping run before cutting it back into the box for Anastasios Bakasetas.
He shoots and drills a low effort at goal only for John Stones to flick it wide before Rico Lewis completes the clearance.
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:06 , Mike Jones
18 mins: England don’t look all that confident with this new formation and their defence has suffered for it. Levi Colwill is the only reason the game is still on level terms.
Rico Lewis makes a forward run on the left but gets bungled off the ball and Greece attempt to break. Phil Foden shuffles across and pokes the ball out for a throw in.
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:05 , Mike Jones
15 mins: Jude Bellingham makes a fantastic run in behind and is picked out by Trent Alexander-Arnold. Bellingham eases into the box from the right side but only has a couple of tough options.
He decides to shoot from a tight angle and fizzes the ball over the crossbar.
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:01 , Mike Jones
12 mins: Trent Alexander-Arnold boots the ball forward in order to ease some of the pressure on England’s back line. There were struggling to deal with the Greece press and Jordan Pickford will be low on confidence at the minute after those two mistakes.
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 20:00 , Mike Jones
10 mins: Disallowed!
Jordan Pickford is having a nightmare. First up he decides to come out of his penalty area to take control of the ball then takes too long to decide what to do with it.
He passes it to his opponents who then flick the ball at goal and Pickford’s blushes are spared but Levi Colwill clearing the ball off the line!
From the resultant corner, Pickford decides to come for the ball. He misses it and it gets poked to Konstantinos Mavropanos who dinks it into the back of the net only for the offside flag to go up!
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 19:55 , Mike Jones
7 mins: Oh hello!
Konstantinos Koulierakis clatters into Jude Bellingham who beats him to a loose ball. He takes out the midfielder over to the right side of the pitch just outside the box.
The defender is shown a yellow card and will miss the next match.
Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold stand over the ball. It’s Palmer who strikes the effort and lands the ball just on the roof of the net.
Decent effort.
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 19:53 , Mike Jones
5 mins: Close!
England get caught on the break after Bellingham loses possession. Greece sweep forward quickly and work the ball up to Vangelis Pavlidis.
The forward checks to the right and curls a shot towards the far bottom corner. He strikes it well but Jordan Pickford isn’t interested and watches the ball go wide.
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 19:51 , Mike Jones
3 mins: Rico Lewis releases Jude Bellingham down the left side of the pitch and the Real Madrid star attempts to drive into the box. He loses possession but it comes out to Anthony Gordon who rolls a pass over to Cole Palmer.
Palmer looks to shoot first time but fumbles the ball.
It comes back across to Bellingham who spins and rattles a shot at goal that Odysseus Vlachodimos leaps to his left to push wide of the post.
England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 19:49 , Miguel Delaney at Wembley
“For a game that isn’t maybe the most momentous, there is some discussion here at Wembley over whether Lee Carsley’s line-up is the most revolutionary England have ever had.
“It is certainly a historic landmark.
“It might just be the first time that England have started a game without a traditional striker or number-nine. That may not be so remarkable in the context of the modern game, but it is for the national team. England have just always had a nine, and not simply in terms of tactics.
“There’s always been that defined front man. Is Harry Kane the last one in that sense, potentially the end of a lineage that goes through Jimmy Greaves and Geoff Hurst to Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer?
“His place was taken here by Jude Bellingham, who started as a false nine – although a connected question: at what point does a false nine just become… a nine.
“The game will tell. This low-key historic moment may be the future.”
Kick off! England 0-0 Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 19:48 , Mike Jones
There is a period of silence before the start of this Nations League match in memory of George Baldock who passed away in Athens yesterday at the age of 31.
England then get the ball rolling.
Will England miss Harry Kane?
Thursday 10 October 2024 19:40 , Mike Jones
England captain Harry Kane has scored 26 goals in 26 competitive home appearances for the Three Lions, scoring on each of his last six such outings (nine goals) – only Steve Bloomer (1895-1899) and Wayne Rooney (2012-2015) have ever scored in seven straight competitive home games for the nation.
Kane has had a hand in 28 goals in his last 28 appearances at Wembley Stadium for England (25 goals, three assists), netting 14 goals in his last 14 games at the ground.
England vs Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 19:40 , Mike Jones
Here come the players.
John Stones is the England captain for the evening and will partner Levi Colwill in central defence against the Greeks. Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka are all in the starting line-up and this promises to be a free flowing attacking game.
Will it work?
We’re about to find out…
Roy Keane explains why ‘brilliant’ Cole Palmer is a player ‘you’d pay to watch’
Thursday 10 October 2024 19:38 , Mike Jones
With Lee Carsley opting to start Cole Palmer in an attacking midfield role for England’s Nations League encounter with Greece, much attention was quickly about how to get the best out of the Three Lions side with him involved – and why he could be such an important player.
Palmer was named England’s men’s player of the year recently – though was yet to even collect ten senior caps at the time, with the fixture against the Greeks bringing up his double figures.
But it’s only the start of a journey which must make him a massive part of the plans, be it with Carlsey in charge on a permanent basis or not. That’s the opinion of former Manchester United captain Roy Keane, who singled out Palmer’s mindset and technical qualities as the keys to making him such an impressive performer.
Roy Keane explains why ‘brilliant’ Palmer is a player ‘you’d pay to watch’
Bellingham, Foden or Palmer? Lee Carsley knows England need something else entirely
Thursday 10 October 2024 19:35 , Mike Jones
After of course speaking at length about Cole Palmer, Lee Carsley wanted to make one clarification. He has no plans to play the Chelsea star at left-back. The interim England manager last week referenced how Palmer is so talented that he can play there, only for that to cause some commotion.
“I definitely won’t be saying anything like that again!”
Carsley then went on an instructive explanation of one vision for the position – “not like a traditional Ashley Cole kind of thing” – which touched on a far bigger discussion over the forward.
Bellingham, Foden or Palmer? Lee Carsley knows England need something else entirely
England vs Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 19:30 , Mike Jones
This will be England’s 21st game overall in the Nations League (currently P20 W7 D6 L7), while they have the chance to win three successive matches in the competition for the first time, following wins against Ireland and Finland.
England haven’t lost any of their last 17 competitive matches at Wembley (W13 D4) since a 0-1 loss to Denmark in this competition back in October 2020.
The Three Lions have lost just two of their last 23 competitive matches overall (W14 D7), with those defeats coming against France at the quarter-final stage of the 2022 Fifa World Cup and against Spain in the final at Euro 2024.
England vs Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 19:25 , Mike Jones
Following back-to-back 2-0 wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland, Lee Carsley will be aiming to be the first England manager to win his first three competitive matches in charge since Fabio Capello in October 2008 and the first ever to do so without conceding.
Greece are winless in their last 12 matches against nations ranked inside the top five of the Fifa rankings (D6 L6), since a 1-0 win over France at Euro 2004 – their most recent such fixture ended 2-2 however, against France (ranked second) in November 2023.
Cole Palmer in ‘incredible’ place – but England boss Lee Carsley wants him to get even better
Thursday 10 October 2024 19:20 , Mike Jones
Lee Carsley says every England player will have to “earn their place in the team” as he indicated no one would be a certain starter. The interim manager also says Cole Palmer can get even “better” due to how much scope he has to improve.
England’s abundance of talent has seen clamours rise behind a number of players to be central to the team, from Phil Foden through to Jude Bellingham and now Palmer. He is considering Bellingham at false nine for the match against Greece.
While Carsley again stated that he has a “a plan in place” that can include all three talents, he evaded the question when asked whether Bellingham would always play if fit.
Cole Palmer in ‘incredible’ place – but England boss wants him to get even better
Pre-match thoughts from Lee Carsely:
Thursday 10 October 2024 19:20 , Mike Jones
“It [Harry Kane’s absence] has given us a chance to try something and be creative with the way we play. We talk about how exciting and creative we can be so I’m looking forward to the game.
“We have a lot of flexibility and you may see a lot of changes. Hopefully it will be exciting. I see all the players interchanging, we have some really creative players.
“Greece have won the last two games, haven’t conceded a goal so we are expecting a tough challenge.”
England vs Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 19:15 , Mike Jones
England have won 16 of their last 21 competitive home matches across all competitions (D3 L2), including each of their last five. The Three Lions have kept six clean sheets in their last nine such fixtures.
Since the inaugural Nations League in 2018-19, no team has won more games in the competition than Greece (W13 D3 L4), who have conceded the fewest goals (eight) and kept the most clean sheets (14) of any nation in that period.
England vs Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 19:10 , Mike Jones
England are unbeaten in all nine of their meetings with Greece across all competitions (W7 D2), keeping a clean sheet in seven of those matches.
Greece have drawn their last two away competitive matches against England, most recently 2-2 in a World Cup qualifier in October 2001, leading twice before David Beckham scored a 90th minute free kick to send the Three Lions to the 2002 World Cup.
England vs Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 19:05 , Mike Jones
The Three Lions have played Greece on nine occasions, registering seven wins, drawing twice and losing none.
Their last meeting ended in a 4-0 England win on 16 August 2006. It was a meeting at Old Trafford against Otto Rehhagel’s reigning European Champions which ended in a convincing win for Three Lions manager Steve McClaren in his first game in charge.
Goals came from John Terry, Frank Lampard and a brace for Peter Crouch.
Jack Grealish opens up on Euro 2024 snub and how things are different under Lee Carsley
The 29-year-old was a high-profile omission from the summer’s shot at glory in Germany having been part of the team that reached the Euro 2020 showpiece and then 2022 World Cup quarter-finals.
Grealish was “absolutely heartbroken” to be dropped from the expanded pre-tournament selection and Southgate’s decision still sticks in the craw.
As part of his pre-match media duties John Stones suggested that he told Cole Palmer not to leave Man City, but is still enjoying seeing his rise at Stamford Bridge.
“I was a huge fan of Cole as soon as he came into our first-team set up, what he brought to the game, how he played as if he was in the park,” he said.
“I was sad to see him leave, I made him aware of that, but what he has gone on and done is a credit to him, how he’s conducted himself, how he’s stepped up in big moments.
“He is in a good moment, and I hope that continues for as long as possible. Scoring in the final, he has experienced those big games now and big moments and hopefully there is more of that to come.”
Greece arrive at Wembley as League B Group 2 leaders after wins in the opening two games against Finland and Republic of Ireland.
They are ahead of England on goals scored, so this match could go a long way to deciding who finishes top of the group and therefore wins promotion to League A.
Greece are playing well but have not played in a major tournament since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. They last played England in an international friendly in 2006 when they lost 4-0 at Old Trafford.
England vs Greece talking points
Thursday 10 October 2024 18:36 , Mike Jones
Palmer’s first start?
As the hottest property in the Premier League at the moment, it is strange to think Cole Palmer has yet to start a competitive game for his country.
That stat did not stop him being named as England’s player of the year for 2023/24. Given his form for Chelsea, Carsley will surely select him in his starting XI against Greece.
The interim boss has hinted Palmer, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden are all unlikely to start together in this international break so which position Palmer may get the nod will be interesting.
England vs Greece talking points
Thursday 10 October 2024 18:30 , Mike Jones
Carsley to cement his position?
Lee Carsley has always maintained that he is on a three-camp mission following his appointment as interim boss in the wake of Gareth Southgate’s exit.
But the former Under-21s manager is beginning to get his feet under the table and has the opportunity to further enhance his chances of getting the job on a permanent basis.
He said that he felt at home on the Wembley touchline during last month’s win over Finland and if his side put on another impressive attacking display against Greece then he could win further support for the future.
England vs Greece talking points
Thursday 10 October 2024 18:24 , Mike Jones
Solanke’s long wait
If Harry Kane is not fit then it could open the door up for Dominic Solanke. The Tottenham striker is back in the England squad for the first time since 2017 when he made a 15-minute cameo as a substitute in a friendly against Brazil at Wembley.
Despite a seven-year exile he always believed he would be back at the top and had his debut shirt framed on his wall at home to use as motivation.
If Kane does not make it, then he will likely be vying with Ollie Watkins for a starting spot.
England vs Greece talking points
Thursday 10 October 2024 18:18 , Mike Jones
Will Harry Kane be fit?
There are big fitness doubts over captain Harry Kane following the injury he picked up playing for Bayern Munich at the weekend.
The striker came off against Eintracht Frankfurt with a knock but was passed fit by England’s medical staff on Monday.
However, he trained individually on Tuesday and with the tight turnaround, it remains to be seen whether the country’s record goalscorer will be fit.
Lee Carsley confirmed that he will not start but a substitute appearance hasn’t been ruled out.
John Stones blocking out Manchester City noise while on England duty: ‘I put a lot of trust in the club’
Thursday 10 October 2024 18:12 , Mike Jones
John Stones says he pays no “attention” to the off-field issues surrounding Manchester City as it is something he “cannot control”, and that his position is to simply “put a lot of trust in the club”.
The centre-half was speaking ahead of England-Greece, in an international week that has been overshadowed by news of the latest legal case involving the Premier League champions.
Monday brought the judgment in City’s challenge against the competition’s Associated Party Transaction Rules, which will see some rules rewritten. That preceded a storm of controversy amid competing claims about who “won”, with new acrimony in the Premier League as City wrote an email to the other clubs threatening further legal action.
John Stones blocking out Man City noise while on England duty: ‘I trust in the club’
Stones to ‘cherish’ captaining England
Thursday 10 October 2024 18:06 , Mike Jones
John Stones is excited for an “incredible moment” as he captains England for the first time against Greece on Thursday.
“It’s definitely everything that I could have dreamed of as a kid,” the defender said ahead of the game.
“For my family to be able to see me walk out as England captain is a special moment and one I can’t thank Lee enough for. It was a great conversation we had last night and one I was a bit speechless in.
“An incredible moment for me, it was a bit more normal today, everything resumed as normal, the preparation, the training that we’ve done and our focus.
“To be walking out with the armband on is an absolute honour and a moment I will cherish forever.”
(The FA via Getty Images)
Stones to captain England
Thursday 10 October 2024 18:00 , Mike Jones
John Stones will lead England out as captain for the first time this evening. He wins his 82nd cap and is looking forward to leading the national team.
“It was a great conversation that I was able to have with John last night, to have that responsibility to ask him to captain the team,” Lee Carsley said.
“It’s a brilliant achievement for John. Something that he deserves – the amount of caps he’s got, the experience he’s got, the level of professionalism that he shows within the squad, the example he is to the younger players.
“It was a great conversation to have.”
Kane won’t start for England
Thursday 10 October 2024 17:54 , Mike Jones
“Harry’s nursing an injury, a small knock,” confirmed interim England manager Lee Carsley when asked if the Three Lions captain was fit for tonight’s game.
“Something that we won’t take a chance with.”
Asked to clarify whether Kane will be on the bench at Wembley, he said: “We’re not ruling him out yet of the game, but he won’t start the game.
“Hopefully he’ll be in contention then for Sunday (against Finland) but, again, time will tell. It’s not something I think we should be rushing.”
Lee Carsley confirms Harry Kane won’t start for England against Greece – ‘We won’t take a chance’
Thursday 10 October 2024 17:48 , Mike Jones
Interim boss Lee Carsley says he “won’t take a chance” with Harry Kane’s fitness in England’s Nations League clash against Greece as the skipper deals with a knock.
A month on from celebrating his 100th cap with a match-winning brace against Finland, the 31-year-old could miss Thursday’s Wembley return against the Group B2 leaders.
Kane sustained a knock during Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga clash with Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday and has been unable to train with the group despite getting the green light to stay with England.
The Manchester City player announced the safe arrival of his first child Mila with partner Sasha Ashwood earlier this week.
In an interview with BBC Sport on Wednesday, ahead of England’s match against Greece, Grealish was asked which of his Three Lions teammates would be the best and worst babysitter.
The 29-year-old chose Harry Kane as his preferred favourite, when pressed on his least preferred choice, he chose Bukayo Saka, stating the Arsenal winger might “fall asleep”.
England vs Greece prediction
Thursday 10 October 2024 17:36 , Mike Jones
With England in great form and fully revitalised under interim manager Lee Carsley they should be looking forward to a more challenging outing this evening.
Greece are unbeaten in the Nations League so far but will likely be forced to change their style of play against the Three Lions. It may take a while for the first goal to come but England will look to take advantage when it does.
England 3-0 Greece.
Predicted line-ups
Thursday 10 October 2024 17:30 , Mike Jones
Here’s how we see both teams lining up tonight given pre-match information and how we think the manager’s will see the match playing out. Lee Carsley has a job on his hands fitting Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham into the team so it seems likely at least one will be on the bench.
I can easily see Palmer or Foden starting on the left side ahead of Anthony Gordon though the Newcastle winger impressed in the previous camp and deserves to keep his spot.
As for the latest odds, it should come as no surprise that England are the heavy favourites though without Harry Kane up front the match will likely be a closer affair than expected.
England win 1/5
Draw 7/2
Greece win 9/1
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Greece early team news
Thursday 10 October 2024 17:24 , Mike Jones
Greece have been dealt a huge blow to their chances of winning as Fotis Ioannidis sustained an injury during Panathinaikos’ recent Greek Super League clash with Olympiacos and has been left out of the squad.
Vangelis Pavlidis should lead the line as a result with the rest of the squad taking up a more familiar shape. Goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos should win his 45th cap in goal.
England early team news
Thursday 10 October 2024 17:18 , Mike Jones
Harry Kane did not train with the rest of the squad on Tuesday as he recovers from a thigh injury and the England captain is a doubt for this game. He trained indoors on a specialised programme so may be able to feature at some point though a starting place is unlikely.
Ezri Konsa, Morgan Gibbs-White and Kobbie Mainoo all withdrew from the squad on Monday having picked up respective injuries over the weekend. Having returned to the squad for this camp, Kyle Walker, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden are all in line to start for the Three Lions.
How can I watch it?
Thursday 10 October 2024 17:12 , Mike Jones
This Nations League clash will be shown on ITV1 and ITV X with coverage starting at 7pm BST.
If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
When is England vs Greece?
Thursday 10 October 2024 17:06 , Mike Jones
England vs Greece is due to kick off at 7.45pm BST on Thursday 10 October at Wembley Stadium.
(John Walton/PA Wire)
England vs Greece
Thursday 10 October 2024 17:00 , Mike Jones
England face their biggest test of the Nations League so far when they welcome Greece to Wembley in a top of the table clash in Group B2.
Greece have made the better start, keeping two clean sheets and scoring more goals (five compared to four from the Three Lions) though there is very little to separate the sides.
Good evening one and all. England are back in Nations League action at Wembley tonight as they take on Greece in a blockbuster clash at the top of Group B2.
Neither team has lost yet in the competition but both sides are missing their main strikers as Harry Kane and Fotis Ioannidis will sit this one out (Kane may make an appearance off the bench but won’t start).
We’ll have all the team news, line-ups and updates throughout the evening so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 7.45pm.
