Wiegman expects Earps and Charles to be fit for England’s EURO qualifiers | OneFootball

England head coach Sarina Wiegman says that goalkeeper Mary Earps and full-back Niamh Charles are expected to be fit to play in the upcoming UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 qualifiers against The Republic of Ireland and Sweden.

The Lionesses take on The Republic of Ireland at Carrow Road in Norwich on Friday 12 July 2024 before facing Sweden in Gothenburg on Tuesday 16 July 2024. The results from those matches will confirm whether England will qualify automatically for UEFA Women’s EURO 2025.

Goalkeeper Earps and full-back Charles have been battling injuries in recent weeks but England head coach Wiegman says that the pair should be fit for the upcoming UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 qualifiers.

“Everyone who is here [on camp] is fit, well, in rehab or building towards minutes,” Wiegman confirmed when speaking in an England media conference.

“The situation is very different to what we’ve been used to; some players have been on holiday, some players come in at different stages of rehab, stuff like that but everything has gone by [to] plan so far.

“We expect [everyone to be fit], although of course, we have some sessions and they have to come through tomorrow. We expect that everyone who is in camp right now would be available for next Friday and Tuesday [16th]. That’s right now but you know, in sports, things can change. We’re on the way, in the way we want to.”

The England squad are currently preparing for the upcoming UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 qualifiers in camp on neutral territory in The Netherlands. The Lionesses will play the Dutch in a behind-closed-doors friendly match tomorrow. Wiegman went on to say that the exercise is all about building minutes.

She said “The [first few] days have been good. We started in camp last week and now, we are in The Netherlands. We have done what we have wanted to do so far.

“Tomorrow, we play The Netherlands in a behind-closed-doors match and what we really want from this game is to get playing minutes and get everyone ready for the two matches next week on the 12th and the 16th.

“Players come in at different stages but the main goal is to prepare everyone for the 12th and the 16th and this match will help us with that.”

With two games to go, England occupy third place in their UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 qualification group. The Lionesses need two strong performances against The Republic of Ireland and Sweden to secure automatic qualification.