England Women vs Belgium Women: How will the Lionesses fare in the first pre-Women Euros test?

Follow England Women vs Belgium Women across Sky Sports' digital platforms with our dedicated live blog, plus updates on Sky Sports News; the 2022 Women's Euro gets under way at Old Trafford on Wednesday July 6; the tournament culminates with the final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday July 31

England face their first pre-Women's Euros test on Thursday when they take on Belgium at Molineux.

Sarina Wiegman named her final 23-player squad for the upcoming tournament on Wednesday and this week's friendly is a chance for fans to see the squad in action.

Former captain Steph Houghton will not feature this summer, having struggled with an Achilles problem since January, while Chelsea striker Fran Kirby and Man City forward Chloe Kelly have both overcome respective injury troubles to take their place in Wiegman's squad.

Former England international Laura Bassett says Steph Houghton did everything she could to be selected in England's Euro 2022 squad and will be hugely disappointed to miss out.

The match against Belgium - who will also feature at Euro 2022 - is the first of three friendlies before England kick off their home tournament against Austria at Old Trafford on July 6.

The Lionesses also face The Netherlands at Elland Road on June 24 before travelling to Switzerland for their concluding warm-up clash on June 30. Following the fixture in Zurich, the Lionesses will return to St George's Park to put the finishing touches on preparations.

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Ahead of the Women's Euros, Prince William joined the England squad to wish them well for the tournament and show off his shooting skills!

Will we have any indications on the starting XI against Austria?

Wiegman probably already has a keen idea of who she will start at Old Trafford on July 6 - but these friendlies will give her the chance to experiment, tinker and see who might stake their claim.

All three goalkeepers - Mary Earps, Ellie Roebuck and Hannah Hampton - are likely to feature during the friendlies, and expect to see each of the named 23 players given some minutes.

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One of the most important aspects of these friendlies is testing England against better opposition. Despite a glut of goals under Wiegman so far, they have come against the likes of Latvia, North Macedonia and Luxembourg.

Image: England were winners of the Arnold Clark Cup in March, testing themselves against better quality opposition

There were already positive signs during the Arnold Clark Cup in March - an invitational tournament organised by the FA - which was won by the Lionesses ahead of Olympic gold medallists Canada, Euro 2022 favourites Spain and international powerhouse Germany.

England are yet to lose a match under Wiegman - drawing just twice, although both in the Arnold Clark Cup - and it will be important to maintain that momentum heading into these matches. The Lionesses will be aiming for three victories but equally and perhaps more importantly, cohesive performances.

What about Belgium Women?

Image: Tessa Wullaert is Belgium's all-time leading goalscorer

Belgium have made steady improvement over the last decade or so. This summer represents their second major tournament appearance and their second successive European Championships.

The Red Flames finished third in their Euro 2017 group behind eventual champions The Netherlands and Denmark, and will be in a group with France, Italy and Iceland this time around.

The last time the two sides played each other was a 3-3 friendly draw in August 2019. England had led 2-0, but needed a late Nikita Parris penalty to secure the draw in a rocky patch of form after finishing fourth at that summer's World Cup.

Image: Ives Serneels has managed Belgium since 2011

Much like England, Belgium head into Thursday's friendly and the Euros with plenty of experience in their ranks. Janice Cayman has 124 international caps and is second in the all-time scorers' list (47) behind Tessa Wullaert, who has scored 65 goals in 106 caps.

It says a lot about the quality of Belgium's squad that seven of their 10 all-time cap holders are current players, with two more having retired in the last three years.

Much of their improvement too has come under long-time manager Ives Serneels, who has coached the national team since 2011. He will be hoping to lead the Red Flames into the knockout rounds for the first time in their history this summer.

Follow Euro 2022 across Sky Sports

Keep up with all the latest from Euro 2022 across Sky Sports and Sky Sports News this summer.

Coverage will be anchored by Sky Sports WSL presenter Caroline Barker, alongside Jessica Creighton and Kyle Walker. Meanwhile, Karen Carney, Sue Smith, Courtney Sweetman-Kirk and Laura Bassett will give analysis throughout the tournament.

They will also be joined by experienced England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley and Manchester City defender Esme Morgan.

The pundits and presenters will work from the Sky Sports Women's Euro 2022 Mobile Presentation Bus, which will follow the Sky Sports News team around the country to the various stadiums where matches are being played.

In addition, Sky Sports' Essential Football Podcast will be rebranded for the tournament to Sky Sports Women's Euros Podcast rom 21 June. Hosted by Charlotte Marsh and Anton Toloui, it will feature exclusive news and player interviews in addition to a strong programme line up around the tournament.

Euro 2022: The groups...

Group A: England, Austria, Norway, Northern Ireland

Group B: Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland

Group C: Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, Switzerland

Group D: France, Italy, Belgium, Iceland

Euro 2022: The schedule...

Group stage

Wednesday July 6

Group A: England vs Austria - kick off 8pm, Old Trafford

Thursday July 7

Group A: Norway vs Northern Ireland - kick off 8pm, St Mary's

Friday July 8

Group B: Spain vs Finland - kick off 5pm, Stadium MK

Group B: Germany vs Denmark - kick off 8pm, London Community Stadium

Saturday July 9

Group C: Portugal vs Switzerland - kick off 5pm, Leigh Sports Village

Group C: Netherlands vs Sweden - kick off 8pm, Bramall Lane

Sunday July 10

Group D: Belgium vs Iceland - kick off 5pm, Manchester City Academy Stadium

Group D: France vs Italy - kick off 8pm, New York Stadium

Monday July 11

Group A: Austria vs Northern Ireland - kick off 5pm, St Mary's

Group A: England v Norway - kick off 8pm, Brighton and Hove Community Stadium

Tuesday July 12

Group B: Denmark vs Finland - kick off 5pm, Stadium MK

Group B: Germany vs Spain - kick off 8pm, London Community Stadium

Wednesday July 13

Group C: Sweden vs Switzerland - kick off 5pm, Bramall Lane

Group C: Netherlands v Portugal - kick off 8pm, Leigh Sports Village

Thursday July 14

Group D: Italy vs Iceland - kick off 5pm, Manchester City Academy Stadium

Group D: France vs Belgium - kick off 8pm, New York Stadium

Friday July 15

Group A: Northern Ireland v England - kick off 8pm, St Mary's

Group A: Austria vs Norway - kick off 8pm, Brighton and Hove Community Stadium

Saturday July 16

Group B: Finland vs Germany - kick off 8pm, Stadium MK

Group B: Denmark vs Spain - kick off 8pm, London Community Stadium

Sunday July 17

Group C: Switzerland vs Netherlands - kick off 5pm, Bramall Lane

Group C: Sweden vs Portugal - kick off 5pm, Leigh Sports Village

Monday July 18

Group D: Iceland vs France - kick off 8pm, New York Stadium

Group D: Italy vs Belgium - kick off 8pm, Manchester City Academy Stadium

Knockout phase

Quarter-finals

Wednesday July 20

Quarter-final 1: Winners Group A v Runners-up Group B - kick off 8pm, Brighton and Hove Community Stadium

Thursday July 21

Quarter-final 2: Winners Group B v Runners-up Group A - kick off 8pm, London Community Stadium

Friday July 22

Quarter-final 3: Winners Group C v Runners-up Group D - kick off 8pm, Leigh Sports Village

Quarter-final 4: Winners Group D v Runners-up Group C - kick off 8pm, New York Stadium

Semi-finals

Tuesday July 26

Semi-final 1: Winners quarter-final 1 v Winners quarter-final 3 - kick off 8pm, Bramall Lane

Wednesday July 27

Semi-final 2: Winners quarter-final 2 v Winners quarter-final 4 - kick-off 8pm, Stadium MK

Final

Sunday July 31

Winners semi-final 1 v Winners semi-final 2 - kick off 5pm, Wembley

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