England boss Sarina Wiegman vows to ‘make every second count’ after naming squad for Finalissima against Brazil

England manager Sarina Wiegman has named her Lionesses squad for the upcoming matches against Brazil and Australia ahead of this summer’s World Cup.

The 2022 European champions take on Copa America Femenina 2022 winners Brazil in the inaugural Women’s Finalissima in a prestige match at Wembley on April 6.

They then welcome World Cup hosts Australia to the Brentford Community Stadium on April 11.

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Uncapped West Ham defender Lucy Parker is among those selected for the upcoming matches, and she is looking to make her debut after injury forced her to withdraw from previous squads.

These will be England’s final matches before their World Cup campaign kicks off against Haiti on July 23 in Brisbane, before facing Denmark and China in their remaining Group D matches.

“We’re getting closer to the World Cup and I can’t think of two better games to assess our progress,” said Weigman. “After these games, there will be less than three months until we fly to the tournament and we must make every second on and off the pitch count.

“For us as a technical staff, this will be the last chance to see the players within our England environment before we come together for the final preparation phase in June, and these two matches will be two real tests to see where we are at.

“This is a major new trophy, and to compete for it at a sold-out Wembley is another special moment, both for us as a team but also for our fans. We will never take these occasions for granted and I want to see how we perform against two teams that will be hoping to challenge for the World Cup.”

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Full Squad:

Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa) Sandy MacIver (Manchester City), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City)

Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Lucy Parker (West Ham United), Leah Williamson (Arsenal)

Midfielders: Laura Coombs (Manchester City), Jordan Nobbs (Aston Villa), Jessica Park (Everton, loan from Manchester City), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Barcelona)

Forwards: Rachel Daly (Aston Villa),Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Katie Robinson (Brighton & Hove Albion), Alessia Russo (Manchester United)

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