Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson is likely to field a young team for the game AFP

England host France in an international friendly at the Wembley Stadium on Tuesday, 17 November as both nations come together to pay tribute to the victims of the 13/11 Paris attacks which shook the world to the core. The match was initially on the verge of being postponed, with the English FA having already initiated refunds anticipating the announcement but the footballing fraternity of both nations decided to go ahead with the event as a show of respect and solidarity amidst the chaos ensuing in the region.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 8pm GMT. Live coverage of the game will be on ITV and ITV HD.

Overview

England come into the game on the back of a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Spain in an international friendly last week, amid some shambolic performances by the players chosen by manager Roy Hodgson. Harry Kane was given the responsibility to lead the attack amid a massive injury crisis which has stifled their frontline, with Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck, Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge all unfit to start.

However, Hodgson will be relieved that the events preceding the game will overpower any expectations that the supporters will have from the game. England need a lot of strengthening, not least their players returning to action before the European Championships scheduled for next year should they harbour any hopes of going further in the competition.

France have announced that they will be sending their entire squad to Wembley for the game against England, including Antoine Griezmann and Lasanna Diarra, who had traumatising experiences in the recent attacks in Paris. Both sets of fans have been asked to join in the singing of the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, with the lyrics being housed on screens to encourage participation.

Coming to the football, the Blues had given a good account of themselves against Germany in the last game, winning 2-0, with Olivier Giroud and Andre Pierre-Gignac scoring in the game. Didier Deschamps will not be worried about the result in the upcoming fixture, but will keep an eye out for Anthony Martial, who is slowly but surely emerging as one of France's key elements for the upcoming tournament.

What Managers Say

Roy Hodgson: "This match would never have taken on the importance we were hoping because so many players are unavailable for the game. It will be a very young team, six players under the age of 22. Although I would have liked all the players that we are thinking of for the Euros to be available, and not gone too far down an experimental route, the way these two matches have panned out it is experimental from our point of view. Today we lost Fabian Delph, alongside Vardy and Carrick - three of the players who are more experienced, so we are in a difficult situation in terms of having a lot of players to choose from and we are playing against a very good team."

Didier Deschamps: "We were focused on playing our game, obviously, and heard two or three explosions without knowing what had happened. You wondered what that was but we were so focused on the game at the time. We weren't really brought up to speed with what had happened until after the match, when it came to light the terrible, disastrous events that had taken place outside the ground and in central Paris. When it became clear Germany wanted to remain in the stadium, independently of what the French state and security forces wanted, we went to them, spoke to them and it was important we stayed with them until it was safe to leave. We got back to Clairefontaine in the early hours, tried to eat and sleep but it was difficult to do either of those things. The night was very short."

Team News

England

Possible XI: Butland; Walker, Cahill, Stones, Bertrand; Dier, Shelvey; Sterling, Rooney, Lallana; Kane

France

Possible XI: Lloris; Sagna, Varane, Koscielny, Evra; Schneiderlin, Pogba, Matuidi; Griezmann, Giroud, Martial

England France