England manager Mark Sampson has expressed his beliefs that he will have a full squad at his disposal, ahead of the Three Lionesses’ opening fixture at the World Cup.
The only team from the British Isles to feature in the tournament, will kick-off their campaign against France on 9 June – which could potentially be their toughest fixture in the competition. The Blues are one of the bookies favourites to lift the trophy, behind Germany and USA.
After a number of players named in the squad were initially struggling with injuries, manager Sampson will be relieved to have a fully fit side to choose from.
“We’re in a great place in terms of the physical condition of the players, building towards that game,” Sampson said. “I said right from the start when the squad was named that I was very confident every player will be fully fit and fresh for the first game. At the moment we’re on track for that.”
As a result, England are likely to line-up with captain Steph Houghton, who has missed most of the FA WSL season with Manchester City so far with a knee problem.
Toni Duggan, Jodie Taylor, Ellen White and Fran Kirby should also all be ready to feature, following fitness concerns.
Defender Lucy Bronze – who has been tipped as a surprise star for the England squad – joins midfielders Jordan Nobbs and Karen Carney in successful recoveries from their respective injuries, and goalkeeping duo Karen Bardsley and Siobhan Chamberlain are fully-fit after foot and finger difficulties.
Sampson put his side’s final warm-up game to use against the hosts of this year’s World Cup in recent weeks, lining-up with a somewhat weakened side, allowing a number of those players to regain match fitness after spells on the sidelines.
“It was crucial for all the players to get some minutes in that game under their belts,” Sampson said.
Once they have faced France, England will remain in Moncton to entertain Mexico on 13 June, before heading to Montreal to battle with Colombia just four days later. The manager feels his side will improve as the competition progresses, and is hopeful of a solid finish for the team.
“We didn’t want players to peak towards the end of the WSL season or peak in that Canada game, in a pre-World Cup warm up match.
“We want them to peak during this tournament and I’m really confident we can be ready for that French test and then build up physicality and momentum throughout the tournament.”
