Who will start for England at Euro 2021? We predict England’s starting XI for their Euro 2021 opener against Croatia in June

Who will start for England at Euro 2021? We predict England’s starting XI for their Euro 2021 opener against Croatia in June.

The Three Lions start the week with three fixtures to look forward to, a friendly against Republic of Ireland followed by Belgium and Iceland in the UEFA Nations League.

However, as important as these matches are, manager Gareth Southgate will be using them as an exercise to prepare his players for the vital summer tournament.

As we all know, the Euro’s were postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic meaning the tournament will take place in June 2021.

With international fixtures and Elite domestic football being played on a regular basis, Southgate will be constantly thinking about his starting XI and his squad in general.

But seven months out, who do we believe will be starting that all-important first game against Croatia?

Here we predict Southgate’s starting XI for the Euro 2021 opener…

Goalkeeper:

Jordan Pickford:
Despite plenty of criticism, we believe manager Southgate will stick with his number one Jordan Pickford. The Everton man is certainly prone to an error and he has shown that this season, but Southgate trusts the ex-Sunderland man. His distribution his very good and he communicates well with the defenders in front of him. Burnley’s Nick Pope is second in command though and will be hoping he can persuade Southgate to give him the number one jersey.

Defenders:

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Conor Coady, Harry Maguire, Ben Chilwell:
As frustrating as it can sometimes be, we feel Southgate is going to stick with five at the back. Especially against the dangerous Croatian side in the opening game. As things stand, certain positions will pick themselves, with Ben Chilwell looking like the frontrunner for the left wing back position. On the other flank, it seems like a straight fight between Reece James and Alexander-Arnold, but we’re backing the Liverpool man to get the nod. That leaves three central defenders, Harry Maguire should start, despite his rocky season. Given Joe Gomez’s form for Liverpool we expect him to be another starter and one surprise addition, could be Wolverhampton Wanderers man Coady. He plays in a back three every week and Southgate is clearly a fan of the robust defender.

Midfielders:

Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson, Mason Mount:
The midfield could be an area that frustrates England fans more than any other position. Since the semi final success at the World Cup in 2018, Southgate has aired on the side of caution, by naming two holding midfielders in most England games. The two players who often start are Jordan Henderson and Declan Rice and we expect the West Ham and Liverpool duo to take the field against Croatia in June. That leaves one midfielder spot to be taken in the number 10 role. The three candidates seem to be, Mason Mount, James Maddison and Jack Grealish. Although, we feel Grealish should be certain starter, but for one reason or another, Southgate doesn’t seem to share the same thoughts and will likely start Chelsea’s Mount.

Forwards:

Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling:
The main problem with five at the back, means it only leaves space for two forwards. Of course, Southgate could experiment with a more attack-minded player than Mount in midfield, but if not that leaves just two players to pick between Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho. Captain Harry Kane will be the first name on the team sheet and Sterling has played as a striker for Manchester City this season, so we feel those two will take the field in June. There’s no doubt though, that as the games progress, Rashford will get the chance to star in this England team.

Predicted XI: Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Coady, Maguire, Chilwell: Henderson, Rice, Mount; Kane, Sterling.