Wiegman expecting England to face different Belgium in Leuven | OneFootball

England head coach Sarina Wiegman says that she is expecting a very different test from Belgium when the two sides contest a UEFA Women’s Nations League fixture in Leuven on Tuesday night.

The Lionesses defeated The Red Flames 5-0 in the reverse fixture in Bristol on Friday night. Five different players got their names on the scoresheet at Ashton Gate.

When speaking to the media ahead of England’s latest UEFA Women’s Nations League fixture, head coach Wiegman said that Belgium will be a different proposition on their own turf.

“We played a good game [on Friday] and of course, they were missing some players,” Wiegman said. “You have to play your game as good as possible and concentrate on what you can control. I think we did that well across the whole team; executing the game plan and we kept doing that with the players that came on. I was really happy with that.

“I think tomorrow will be different. Players will be back and the crowd here in Belgium are loud. They will try to play physical, being really compact. I expect them to sometimes press a little higher but maybe also drop a bit deeper. We expect everything.

“When we are at our best, we will play a good game.”

England lost 3-2 in Belgium during the 2023 UEFA Women’s Nations League and Wiegman says that her team return to Leuven with a point to prove.

She said “What I took from that game was that we didn’t play our best and it was off the back of the World Cup, so we were struggling with our levels a bit. How I see tomorrow is that we kind of want to get revenge on ourselves; we really want to show that we are better than we were then and we can do a lot better. We are really preparing for that.”

England continue to be without some key players through long-term injury while three members of the current squad have returned to their clubs ahead of schedule for treatment. Wiegman is remaining calm when it comes to players being fit for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025.

She said “Of course, you want to get everyone in fit. We know what the schedule looks like, so we know where we are at now with the players but that can change tomorrow.

“At the end of the season, we know where it might finish for some then there’s a period where there are no games. I wouldn’t say it’s a worry, those are the facts and we are trying to get time schedules for players to come back and perform. First, they need to be healthy then they need to train and then they need to perform, that’s what it’s all about.”

England’s UEFA Women’s Nations League fixture in Belgium kicks-off at 7.30pm on Tuesday night.