England host Greece at Wembley on Thursday in Group B2 of the UEFA Nations League with both teams looking to extend their perfect starts in the latest edition of the tournament.
Lee Carsley made an impressive start to his interim tenure against the Republic of Ireland and Finland in the last international break in September, while Ivan Jovanović also began his stewardship of the Greek national team with wins against the same opposition.
Greece lead the group by way of goal difference as it stands, something England will be looking to overturn when the sides meet.
The fixture is indelibly etched into the memory of many England fans after David Beckham's last-gasp free-kick in October 2002 earned a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford and sealed the Three Lions' passage to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
Key details:
Date: Thursday, Oct. 10 at 7:45 p.m. BST (2:45 p.m. ET).
Venue: Wembley Stadium
Referee: Andrea Colombo
VAR: Valerio Marini
How to watch:
The game will be shown live on ITV and ITVX in the UK. You can also follow along with ESPN's live updates.
Team news:
Carsley's first England squad in September was considered bold after he selected the likes of Lille midfielder Angel Gomes and Chelsea's Noni Madueke, players he had worked with in the youth setup, and both have been retained for the October games.
Dominic Solanke's early-season form for Tottenham earned him a first call-up since 2017, and the former Bournemouth man will no doubt be looking to make his mark amid competition from Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins.
Captain Kane had been an injury worry for the interim coach after he limped out of Bayern Munich's 3-3 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday, but tests conducted on Monday showed he had suffered no structural damage. That said, the former Spurs star did train on his own on Tuesday, with England saying he was "working indoors on an individualised programme" at their St. George's Park base.
Three names from the roster named by Carsley have been withdrawn owing to injury issues. England's FA said Ezri Konsa, Kobbie Mainoo and Morgan Gibbs-White will miss both games, and on Wednesday it was confirmed that Tino Livramento and Curtis Jones had been added as replacements.
The main headache for Greece will be the fitness of star striker Fotis Ioannidis, who had to be substituted in the dying moments of Panathinaikos' derby draw against Olympiacos on Sunday.
Form guide
Carsley's back-to-back 2-0 wins over Ireland and Finland followed Gareth Southgate's final tournament as England manager, where the Three Lions reached the final of Euro 2024 only to be beaten by Spain in the final.
A penalty shootout triumph over Switzerland in the quarterfinal preceded a 2-1 win over Netherlands in the semis courtesy of Ollie Watkins' sharp finish in the closing stages.
Cole Palmer looked to have breathed life into England with his precise equaliser in the final in Berlin, before Marc Cucurella's pinpoint cross found Mikel Oyarzabal to extend the national team's tournament heartache to at least 60 years by the time the next opportunity in the United States, Mexico and Canada comes around.
Greece, meanwhile, missed out on the European Championship in heartbreaking fashion, losing on penalties to Georgia in the playoff final under Gus Poyet. Since then, their interim coach Nikos Papadopoulos oversaw a 2-1 friendly defeat to Germany followed by a 3-0 win over Malta, before Jovanović began his stewardship with a 2-0 win away at Ireland and a 3-0 home victory against Finland.
Panathinaikos striker Ioannidis has been in fine form for the national team, notching three goals in the two Nations League game so far.