Wales v England
FIFA World Cup, Qatar 2022  
Group B Qualifier 
7pm GMT, Tuesday 29 November 2022 
Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium

Starting line-ups

Gareth Southgate has made four changes to the England line-up for tonight's match with Wales.

Kyle Walker will make his first appearance of the tournament after his return from injury and there is a start for experienced midfielder Jordan Henderson - with both men appearing at their third World Cups.

And in the attacking positions, exciting duo Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford come into the starting line-up, with Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka joining Kieran Trippier and Mason Mount in dropping to the bench.

As for Wales, experienced trio Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen all start for Robert Page's side.

Your #ThreeLions team news is in! 📋 pic.twitter.com/CdisdXcSTv

— England (@England) November 29, 2022

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | #FIFAWorldCup

The Cymru XI to play Lloegr.

Give 'em some Welsh Siwgr!#ArBenYByd | #TogetherStronger pic.twitter.com/boQVdUBzME

— Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@Cymru) November 29, 2022

What was said

Gareth Southgate is hoping England will be able to take the positive aspects from both of their World Cup group games so far to produce a performance worthy of beating Wales on Tuesday night.

England’s attacking quality and clinical finishing ensured an emphatic start to their World Cup campaign, with a 6-2 win over Iran a week ago.

Southgate was left disappointed with the manner of the two goals conceded though and the Three Lions were stronger defensively against an impressive USA side on Friday night.

The 0-0 draw with the USA means England go into the match with neighbouring Wales top of Group B on four points but all four teams are still able to qualify for the last 16 heading into Tuesday night.

Southgate said: “We want to win football matches. We’ve got to balance freshness with stability so that’s always the decision you're making when you pick the team. 

“We’ve got a chance to win the group with a positive result so there's a lot for both teams resting on the game. There are no games where there is no pressure on both teams and our performance is the key. 

“We’ve played well with the ball in the first game and scored a lot of goals. The second game was tougher for us and we defended well. Now we want to put both elements together.”

Getting ready for Tuesday 💪#threelions pic.twitter.com/SXuX4X5Fum

— England (@England) November 27, 2022

Harry Kane suffered a foot injury in the opening match against Iran but was able to feature against the USA.

James Maddison had missed the opening two matches with a knee problem but the Leicester City midfielder returned to training in recent days and Southgate confirmed there is only one player set to miss out on Tuesday night.

Southgate said: “We’re going to pick a team that we believe can win the game. That’s our priority, always. Harry’s fine in terms of the knock he had which even though we keep saying it’s his foot, people keep saying it is his ankle, I don’t know why that is. But he’s trained well.

“It’s only Ben White missing with an illness so we’ve got to this point with pretty much everybody available to select from, which is a great position for us to be in. It makes decisions difficult of course but you want a fully fit squad and at the moment that’s where we’re at.”

Wales are appearing in their first World Cup for 64 years but in players like five-time Champions League winner Gareth Bale and former Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey, have a squad with some world-class talent.

Southgate said: “They have some world-class players who can produce moments of brilliance and have done for a long time with their clubs and their country. 

“They have a good spirit and good organisation. We know the quality of the Ukraine team they beat to get to these finals and we know that they seem to have additional motivation to play England from what they’re saying and we’ve got to be prepared for all of those things. But we’ve also got to focus on our own performance, that’s the key.”

Southgate was speaking alongside experienced midfieder Jordan Henderson and the Liverpool man added: “We expect high things from ourselves and the fans expect big things from us as well for what we’ve done over the last few years. 

“It’s part and parcel of football and it’s how you deal with it. It’s going to be emotional and you're going to have different challenges in front of you, certainly, in tournament football. It is about how you deal with it and hopefully we can deal with them in the right way.”

1️⃣1️⃣ #LionsDen episodes so far!

Which has been your favourite? pic.twitter.com/fF1pgBcptB

— England (@England) November 27, 2022

Opta Stats

The Three Lions will finish their 2022 World Cup group stage against familiar opposition in the shape of Robert Page's Wales side. 

Gareth Southgate's squad were drawn out alongside Iran, USA and Wales the draw in Doha on 1 April. Find out more ahead of the game via Opta's match facts and also some more about the Wales national team below...

● England have won each of their last six games against Wales, scoring eleven goals in that run and conceding only one, a Gareth Bale free-kick at EURO 2016. Wales’ last victory dates back to May 1984, courtesy of a Mark Hughes goal (1-0).

● This is England’s first ever FIFA World Cup match against a fellow British side. The Three Lions are unbeaten in all three games against other British teams at the UEFA European Championship (W1 D1 vs Scotland, W1 vs Wales).

● England have lost their third and final group stage game in just two of their 14 participations at the FIFA World Cup (W7 D5), doing so against Spain in 1950 and Belgium in 2018.

● Wales (D2 L5) are on a run of seven games without a victory in all competitions for the first time since May 2003 – November 2003 (D2 L5), last enduring a longer winless streak in between March 2000 and September 2001 (12).

● England drew 0-0 with USA in their last World Cup match, taking their tally of goalless draws at the World Cup to 12, more than any other nation in World Cup history.

● Wales have failed to win either of their two matches at the 2022 World Cup, drawing with the USA and losing to Iran. They’ve never previously gone through a major tournament without winning at least once; they won once at the 1958 World Cup, four games at EURO 2016 and one game at EURO 2020.

● England have won just one of their last eight games in all competitions (D4 L3), their fewest across an eight-game span since a run between October 2001 and June 2002 (also one win).

● Wales faced 21 shots in their 2-0 defeat against Iran, the third time in their last eight games they’ve faced 20+ shots, as many as in their previous 62 games combined. The last time they faced England at a major tournament, the Three Lions had exactly 20 shots in a 2-1 win at EURO 2016.

● After scoring an England calendar year record 16 goals in 2021, Harry Kane has only scored three times in ten games in 2022, all from the penalty spot. Kane hasn’t scored with any of his 20 non-penalty shots in 2022 so far.

● Among the Wales players to complete 90 minutes in their two games against USA and Iran, Gareth Bale has had the fewest touches in both games (34 vs USA, 36 vs Iran), managing just two shots across the two matches, one of which was his penalty goal against the USA.

Head to head

England played Wales most years in the Home Championship between 1879 and 1984, but wouldn’t meet again until 2004, since when England have won all six meetings between the two. The competitive head-to-head doesn’t look good for Wales, either: England are unbeaten in eleven World Cup and European Championship clashes, winning the only finals tournament clash between the two thanks to Daniel Sturridge’s last-minute winner at EURO 2016.

With two European Championship knockout appearances and a first World Cup qualification since 1958 behind them, this is arguably Wales’ greatest ever side and, indeed, Qatar 2022 could be the last chance for many of this generation to play at a major tournament. A 4-0 defeat to Denmark in the round of 16 at EURO 2020 (played in 2021) suggested a team already on the decline, but younger players – some already experienced, others emerging – could give the established stars the impetus they need for one last hurrah on the international stage. Wales should be battle hardened after qualifying via the play-offs – beating Austria in the semi-final and Ukraine in the final.

Set-up

Robert Page was installed permanently in June 2022 and he has used recent Nations League games against tough opposition in Belgium, Netherlands and Poland to experiment with personnel and formations, but is expected to return to the tried-and-trusted 3-5-2 featuring largely familiar names. 

World Cup pedigree

Wales’ only other World Cup appearance ended at the quarter-final stage, thanks to a goal by a 17-year-old Brazilian named Pele.

Stars on show

Wales are a team greater than the sum of their parts but that team is undoubtedly stronger with their superstar striker Gareth Bale, who proved his worth with both goals against Austria – one, an out-of-this-world free-kick – and the only goal against Ukraine. Midfielder Aaron Ramsey and Spurs defender Ben Davies are other proven top-flight performers.

Breakout stars

In Neco Williams, Ethan Ampadu and Brennan Johnson, Wales have three 21 year olds of great promise. While the first two are already well-established at international level, it is Johnson who has caught the eye recently, scoring against Netherlands and Belgium as well as starting the season for Premier League new boys Nottingham Forest with a bang. 

His pace and work rate offer a genuine alternative to reliable targetman Kieffer Moore as Bale’s foil in attack.

Did you know?

Brennan Johnson played for England at MU16 and MU17 levels before switching his allegiance to Wales – he could also have played for Jamaica, the birthplace of his father, former Bury, Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest striker, David.

Follow the game via our live stats and commentary and see the starting line-ups below

Marcus Rashford’s brace inspired England into the knockout stages of the World Cup, as the Three Lions beat Wales 3-0 to finish top of Group B and set up a date with Senegal on Sunday.

After a goalless opening 45 minutes, Rashford smashed open the deadlock with a stunning free kick just five minutes after the restart before Phil Foden doubled England’s lead just over 60 seconds later.

And Rashford sealed the three points with his second of the night, cutting inside from the right and firing home to cap an electric second half.

England had the best chance after a cagey opening ten minutes, Rashford played through on goal by Harry Kane after the ball was won high up the pitch, but Danny Ward saved excellently.

Sights of goal were then few and far between for much of the first half despite England seeing the vast majority of the ball, Foden firing a shot wide after a quarter of an hour the best effort until seven minutes before the break.

That too fell to Foden, who fired an effort just over the bar after a rapid England counter-attack led by Jude Bellingham, who exchanged passes down the right before releasing Foden with a delightful flick on the turn.

The gaps were beginning to open up towards the end of the first period, as Rashford fired an overhead kick just the wrong side of the post before John Stones saw a header well-held by Ward.

It took just five minutes for England to find their breakthrough in the second half, as Rashford stepped up to curl a free kick into the far corner after Foden was scythed down by a combination of Welsh defenders.

Rashford was involved in England’s second just a minute later, robbing Ben Davies of the ball deep inside Welsh territory before finding Kane, who fired a ball across goal for Foden to slam home at the far post.

Wales rallied after the sucker punch of two goals in two minutes from the Three Lions, with Dan James nearly finding the bottom corner and Jordan Pickford adjusting well to save from a deflected Kieffer Moore effort.

But England were in complete control and had their third with little over 20 minutes to play, as Rashford netted his second of the evening with a powerful strike through Ward.

Excellent build-up play from England down the right saw substitute Kalvin Phillips set Rashford free with a terrific, lofted pass, and Rashford did the rest as he cut inside onto his left and fired home.

The Three Lions were not just content with three, however, and continued to attack as the time ticked away in Qatar.

Another swift attacking move saw Bellingham with space in the box, but his shot was saved by Ward with Foden unable to reach the rebound.

Stones then had a golden chance to make it four in additional time, but he could only put his effort over the bar from close range but it mattered little as England saw out the three points to ease through to the last 16.

England: (4-2-3-1): 1 Jordan Pickford (Everton); 2 Kyle Walker (Manchester City), 5 John Stones (Manchester City), 6 Harry Maguire (Manchester United), 3 Luke Shaw (Manchester United); 8 Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), 4 Declan Rice (West Ham United); 20 Phil Foden (Manchester City), 22 Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), 11 Marcus Rashford (Manchester United); 9 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)

Substitutes: 24 Callum Wilson (Newcastle United) for Kane, 18 Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) for Walker 58’, 14 Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City) for Rice 58’, 12 Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United) for Shaw 65’, 7 Jack Grealish (Manchester City) for Rashford 75’

Substitutes not used: 10 Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), 13 Nick Pope (Newcastle United), 15 Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), 16 Conor Coady (Everton), 17 Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), 19 Mason Mount (Chelsea), 23 Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal), 25 James Maddison (Leicester City), 26 Conor Gallagher (Chelsea)

Goals: Rashford 50’ 68’, Foden 52’

Manager: Gareth Southgate

Wales: (4-5-1): 12 Danny Ward (Leicester City); 3 Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest), 6 Joe Rodon (Rennes), 5 Chris Mepham (Bournemouth), 4 Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur); 10 Aaron Ramsey OGC Nice), 15 Ethan Ampadu, (Spezia) 7 Joe Allen (Swansea City); 11 Gareth Bale (Los Angeles FC), 20 Dan James (Fulham); 13 Kieffer Moore (Bournemouth)

Substitutes: 14 Connor Roberts (Burnley) for N Williams 36’, 9 Brennan Johnson (Nottingham Forest) for Bale 46’, 16 Joe Morrell (Portsmouth) for Davies 59’, 8 Harry Wilson (Fulham) for James 77’, 25 Rubin Colwill (Cardiff City) for Allen 81’

Substitutes not used: 2 Chris Gunter (AFC Wimbledon), 17 Tom Lockyer (Luton Town), 18 Jonathan Williams (Swindon Town), 19 Mark Harris (Cardiff City), 21 Adam Davies (Sheffield United), 22 Sorba Thomas (Huddersfield Town), 23 Dylan Levitt (Dundee United), 24 Ben Cabango (Swansea City), 26 Matt Smith

Yellow cards: James 29’, Ramsey 61’

Manager: Rob Page