England aiming to grab top spot in their Nations League group

England continue their 2024/25 Nations League campaign this week with winnable-looking fixtures against Greece (H) and Finland (A).

The Three Lions picked up maximum points from their first two fixtures and will be eager to maintain their unbeaten start to the competition.

They are the favourites with online bookmakers to win both games and plenty of punters will be willing to wager on them achieving the feat.

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Interim manager Lee Carsley has been dealt a triple blow ahead of the games, with Ezri Konsa, Kobbie Mainoo and Morgan Gibbs-White withdrawing from the squad.

Carsley has opted not to call up any more players to boost his options – a decision which has left some areas of the squad looking threadbare.

John Stones, Levi Colwill and Marc Guehi are the only centre-backs available, although Kyle Walker can cover in emergencies.

England captain Harry Kane did not train with his teammates on Tuesday morning due to a thigh issue, but is expected to be in the line-up for the Greece game.

Carsley will hope Kane is available following his strong performance in England’s last outing against Finland at Wembley Stadium in September.

He celebrated his 100th cap in style by netting two spectacular goals which snapped the stubborn resistance Finland had displayed.

The Bayern Munich striker put his thoroughly miserable performances at the 2024 European Championship behind him with an excellent all-round display.

If Kane is in the starting XI against Greece on Thursday, he will need to be at his best against a team who are England’s biggest threat in the group.

They recorded a 3-0 home victory over Finland in their opening Nations League match, before securing a 2-0 win against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.

Having swept Finland aside with ease, Greece were made to work a little harder by Ireland but ultimately deserved their victory at the Aviva Stadium.

The head-to-head between England and Greece favours the home side, with the Three Lions recording seven wins and two draws in nine previous meetings.

With the quality in their squad and the advantage of playing on home soil, it would be a major surprise if England failed to emerge victorious at Wembley.

It should be a similar story on Sunday, despite the Finns showing they can be tough to break down during the reverse fixture.

Twelve previous games between Finland and England have failed to yield a victory for the Nordic nation, which does not bode well for their chances this weekend.

Carsley will be eager for his team to hammer home their historical dominance over Greece and Finland as he strives to impress his bosses at the Football Association.

No decision has been made on a permanent successor for Gareth Southgate, but two more victories would undoubtedly strengthen his case.

He showed a willingness to do things his way last month, implementing a more dynamic tactical style into a team that often looked laboured under Southgate.

However, England have generally been reasonably adept at beating lower-ranked nations and the acid test will come when they face one of the world’s top teams.

With that in mind, Carsley is right to focus on the job at hand rather worry about what may or may not happen further down the line.

Picking up another six points would boost his chances, but the suspicion remains that the FA want a ‘bigger name’ to take the team forward.

The standout candidate is Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, whose contract at the Etihad Stadium expires next summer.

With the rest of the potential options falling into the ‘uninspiring’ category, appointing Guardiola would unquestionably be welcomed by England fans.

It will be intriguing to see whether Carsley is in the midst of an audition for the permanent managerial job, or whether he is keeping the seat warm for someone else.

England squad

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Nick Pope (Newcastle United).

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), John Stones (Manchester City), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).

Midfielders: Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), Angel Gomes (Lille), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid).

Forwards: Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur).

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