By Jude Summerfield
England begin their preparations for Euro 2024 on Monday night when they welcome Bosnia and Herzegovina to St James' Park in an international friendly.
The Three Lions will embark on their latest attempt to win just a second international trophy this summer when they jet off to Germany but first they will visit Newcastle United's St James' Park as manager Gareth Southgate assesses his preliminary squad before cutting it down to 26 players.
Bosnia and Herzegovina won't be at Euro 2024 after falling short in qualification and face European champions Italy in a second friendly on Sunday.
Here's 90min's preview of an important warm-up fixture for Southgate and England.
What time does England vs Bosnia and Herzegovina kick-off?
- Location: Newcastle, England
- Stadium: St James' Park
- Date: Monday 3 June
- Kick-off Time: 19:45 BST / 14:45 ET / 11:45 PT
England vs Bosnia and Herzegovina H2H Record
This is the first international meeting between England and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Current form (all competitions)
How to watch England vs Bosnia and Herzegovina on TV and live stream
England team news
While manager Gareth Southgate will name a strong starting XI, he is without a number of regular features from his ideal team.
Jude Bellingham won't feature due to his participation in the Champions League final on Saturday night, while Manchester United defensive duo Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw are likely to miss out due to injuries. The likes of Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon and Lewis Dunk may also be given more time to recover.
With Shaw absent, Kieran Trippier will feature at left-back, with Marc Guehi, Jarrad Branthwaite and Ezri Konsa pushing to partner John Stones in central defence.
England predicted lineup vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
England predicted lineup vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (4-3-3): Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier; Wharton, Gallagher, Rice; Palmer, Watkins, Eze.
Bosnia and Herzegovina team news
Bosnia and Herzegovina are captained by veteran striker Edin Dzeko, who has scored 65 goals in 134 international appearances, but no other player in the squad has more than 35 caps.
Other familiar names include midfielder Rade Krunic, who spent time on loan with Fenerbahce from Milan this past season, and Sheffield United centre-back Anel Ahmedhodzic. Former Arsenal defender and recent Europa League winner Sead Kolasinac withdrew from selection due to injury.
Bosnia and Herzegovina predicted lineup vs England
Bosnia and Herzegovina predicted lineup vs England (4-2-3-1): Vasilj; Gazibegovic, Ahmedhodzic, Katic, Mujakic; Krunic, Tahirovic; Hajradinovic, Huseinbasic, Demirovic; Dzeko.
England vs Bosnia and Herzegovina score prediction
England weren't overly impressive during the last international break in March, falling to defeat to Brazil and needing a late equaliser to draw with Belgium.
However, Southgate so often gets his team to gel when it matters most, so the final result may not phase him if the Three Lions do stumble at St James' Park on Monday night.
That said, Bosnia and Herzegovina have lost their last four games straight - including against lowly Luxembourg 4-1 - and anything less than victory would set alarm bells ringing all over England.
Prediction: England 2-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
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This article was originally published on 90min.com as England vs Bosnia and Herzegovina: Preview, predictions and lineups.
