Sarina Wiegman and Leah Williamson addressed the press on the eve of the France game at St James' Park.

Here is what the pair had to say.

Wiegman on Lauren James' fitness...

Lauren James hasn't made it, so she is not available for selection for tomorrow. She already had some foot issues from the club season and we hoped we could build it up for tomorrow but it's just too early. She will miss the game in France as well and she's going to get prepared for July. Jessica Naz will take her place in the full squad.

Wiegman on Jessica Naz' promotion…

Jess deserves it. All of the standby players are like sponges, they really want to learn quick. I told them that they are equals now and they should go for it. It helps they are from the Under-23s and they are used to being around. I see good things from them and it helps that they have very good players around them.

Wiegman on taking the team to St James' Park…

It's very nice to be in this area again. We've played at Sunderland and now at Newcastle. I have never been in the stadium before and I hear it's a great stadium. In every place in the world we want to grow the game and we want people to enjoy it. I want to get to know more areas of England but I think my family  know a lot more because they have time to go around whereas we've always got games. I hope to do more and get to know it better.

Wiegman on the challenge posed by France…

I think they've always been really good. We haven’t analysed them really well at the EUROs and World Cup because we were not playing them but we've been following them all the time. They are very athletic, they have players who always want the ball. They've had some small tweaks in their style of play but we know they want the ball and they want to go forward. And they're not scared to go a little bit direct either.

Williamson on whether Lionesses are favourites to win…

I suppose on paper we are defending champions of this competition but it's easy to forget we are still in qualifying. France are a top team and I see it as fairly even. If that's the tag we have to take then it's not a bad place to be.

Williamson on the potential return of defensive partner Millie Bright…

We've had a lot of rotation but because of the way we play and the quality we have we're afforded the luxury of keeping our style whoever plays. It's easier for other players to step in to a role because there's a good understanding between us. So I'd hope that anybody stepping in would go well, including Millie.

Williamson on the impact of Aggie Beever-Jones in training…

She's confident but she's very respectful which I like about her. I hope she knows she deserves her place here and I was joking with her today that she's not afraid to leave one on us in training. She's got quality and she looks at home. I think she's further ahead in terms of how she's fitting compared to when I came in as a youngster.

France in profile

● England have won just two of their last 23 games against France (D9 L12), but both victories have come across their last four meetings (L2), at the 2017 European Championships and the 2018 SheBelieves Cup.

● After losing on their first away trip to England in 1974 (0-2), France are since unbeaten in four away games against the Lionesses without conceding; the last two meetings have finished 0-0 however, the most recent of those coming in October 2016 in a friendly.

● England won 12 of their first 15 home (excl. neutral venue) matches in all competitions under manager Sarina Wiegman (D3) but have since won just three of seven such games (D3 L1).

● France have won four of their last five away games in all competitions, keeping a clean sheet in three of those victories; their only loss in that time came against world champions Spain in Sevilla.

● England are unbeaten in each of their last 28 European Championship qualifiers since an 8-0 loss away to Norway in June 2000 (W22 D6), scoring 85 goals and conceding just nine times.

● England will play at St. James’ Park for the very first time with this the 87th different ground they’ve used as a home venue; they have won four of their last five games when playing at a new stadium in England with the exception a 2-0 loss to Australia at the Brentford Community Stadium last April.

● This will be Sarina Wiegman’s 50th game in charge of England, becoming the fourth manager to hit a half of century of games in charge of the Lionesses after Hope Powell (161), Martin Reagan (68) and Mark Sampson (59). Wiegman (W37 D8 L4) could equal Sampson (38) for the second most wins in the nation’s history in this match with only Powell winning more (85).

● Only Beth Mead (24) has scored more goals for England under Sarina Wiegman than Alessia Russo (18), who has scored six goals in her six qualifiers for the Lionesses (5 in 4 World Cup qualifiers, 1 in 2 Euros qualifiers).

● Fran Kirby has scored in both of England’s last two meetings with France, only scoring more times in her international career against Sweden (3); the last Chelsea player to score on home soil for the Lionesses was Lauren James in February 2023 against Korea Republic.

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Sarina Wiegman has named her England team to face France in the UEFA Women's Nations League game at St. James' Park.

There's a 50th cap for Mary Earps who starts in goal, while Leah Williamson captains the Lionesses and is reunited with Millie Bright in central defence following the Chelsea player's return from injury.

England: 1 Earps, 2 Bronze, 3 Carter, 4 Walsh, 5 Bright, 6 Williamson (c), 7 Mead, 8 Stanway, 9 Russo, 10 Toone, 11 Hemp.

Substitutes: 12 Greenwood, 13 Hampton, 14 Kirby, 15 Naz, 16 Kelly, 17 Beever-Jones, 18 Clinton, 19 Le Tissier, 20 Park, 21 Keating, 22 Morgan, 23 Turner.

Beth Mead’s first-half strike was not enough as England fell to a 2-1 defeat against France in their third game of UEFA Women's EURO 2025 qualifying.

The Lionesses lost Mary Earps to injury in the opening minutes but rallied well and took the lead when Mead put the finishing touch to a fine move which started inside her own half.

But France hit back just before the break through Elisa De Almeida and struck the killer blow 20 minutes from time when Marie-Antoinette Katoto swivelled well inside the box, extending Les Bleues’ lead to five points at the top of the group.

England sit third following Sweden’s victory over Republic of Ireland but can make amends quickly, with a revenge mission set for Saint-Etienne on Tuesday.

England’s night got off to the worst possible start and a cruel ending for goalkeeper Earps on what was her 50th international appearance.

The Manchester United star winced after playing a routine pass to Millie Bright and though initially soldiering on, she was replaced after just eight minutes by Hannah Hampton.

After an inauspicious start, England settled around the 20-minute mark and the best chance of the early stages fell to Ella Toone, who met Lauren Hemp’s cutback with a sweeping effort which crept agonisingly wide of the far post.

It was another Hemp cross which led to the opener on the half hour, as former Sunderland player Mead gathered the ball following a scramble in the area before calmly slotting home her 33rd Lionesses goal to move joint-sixth on the all-time scorers list.

It was then England’s turn to do some defending and substitute Hampton was at full stretch to parry away a header from Maelle Lakrar.

Katoto then guided over Delphine Cascarino’s dangerous cross from close range before France produced a deserved equaliser five minutes before half time.

Right back De Almeida turned a poor corner into a great one, meeting the ball on the volley and looping a stunning effort over the helpless Hampton.

England re-asserted themselves before the break and the final chance of the half fell to Mead but her curling effort was tipped behind brilliantly by Pauline Peyraud-Magnin.

France forward Cascarino then side-footed wide early in the second half just moments after the ball refused to sit for Leah Williamson at the other end.

Just as in the first half, a set-piece proved England’s undoing and they were punished for failing to clear their lines, as forward Katoto atoned for her earlier miss, firing home a shot on the turn via the far post.

England looked to salvage a point late on but despite some lively moments from substitute Chloe Kelly, France held on for victory in Sarina Wiegman’s 50th game in charge.

England: 1 Mary Earps (Manchester United), 2 Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), 3 Jess Carter (Chelsea), 4 Keira Walsh (Barcelona), 5 Millie Bright (Chelsea), 6 Leah Williamson (Arsenal) (c), 7 Beth Mead (Arsenal), 8 Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), 9 Alessia Russo (Arsenal), 10 Ella Toone (Manchester United), 11 Lauren Hemp (Manchester City)

Substitutes: 13 Hannah Hampton (Chelsea) for Earps 8’, 14 Fran Kirby (Chelsea) for Stanway 79, 16 Chloe Kelly (Manchester City) for Mead 79

Substitutes not used: 12 Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), 15 Jessica Naz (Tottenham Hotspur), 17 Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea), 18 Grace Clinton (Manchester United), 19 Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United), 20 Jess Park (Manchester City), 21 Khiara Keating (Manchester City), 22 Esme Morgan (Manchester City), 23 Millie Turner (Manchester United)

Goals: Mead 30

Bookings: Carter 45+1

France: 16 Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, 5 Elisa De Almeida, 2 Maelle Lakrar, 3 Wendie Renard, Selma 13 Bacha, 14 Sandie Toletti, 7 Sakina Karchaoui, 15 Kenza Dali, 11 Kadidiatou Diani, 9 Marie-Antoinette Katoto, 20 Delphine Cascarino

Substitutes: 6 Amandine Henry for Cascarino 69, 22 Eve Perisset for De Almeida 86, 12 Louna Ribadeira for Katoto 90+1, 10 Lea Le Garrec for Dali 90+1

Substitutes not used: 1 Solene Durand, 21 Constance Picaud, 4 Estelle Cascarino, 19 Thiniba Samoura, 8 Grace Geyoro, 17 Sandy Baltimore, 23 Ines Benyahia, 18 Julie Dufour

Goals: De Almeida 41, Katoto 68

Bookings: Lakrar 70