Latest news with #AlessiaRusso
Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
England vs Jamaica predictions: Women's international friendly tips and odds
Our expert has three tips for the women's friendly international between England and Jamaica at Wembley Stadium on Sunday (kick-off, 5pm). We're expecting a dominant victory for the Lionesses in the final fixture before the Women's Euro 2025 tournament. England Women vs Jamaica Women tips England -4 handicap @ 6/5 with bet365 First half to have to most goals @ 13/8 with bet365 Alessia Russo first goalscorer @ 7/2 with bet365 Odds courtesy of bet365 Correct at the time of publication and subject to change. Already a bet365 member? Check out more free bets from the best betting sites, reviewed by our experts. England to head off on a high This is England's final game before they defend their crown at Euro 2025 in Switzerland. The Lionesses have given themselves a gentle warm-up fixture: Jamaica were beaten 4-0 by the USA this month and have lost each of their last three games. England have won their last two home 6-0 against Portugal and 5-0 against Belgium 5-0, so there is reason to believe they can go at least one better than the USA and overcome a -4 handicap. Game of two halves in store Sarina Wiegman is likely to start with a strong England team that will bear close resemblance to the line-up for their opening Euro 2025 fixture against France. But she will also surely use this as an opportunity to give chances to fringe players in the second half and rest her most important performers. With the second half likely to be regularly punctuated by substitutions, I'm expecting the first half to produce the most goals. England were 5-0 up by half-time in their last home match against Portugal, only scoring once more after the break. Russo key to England hopes Alessia Russo was one of the star performers when England won Euro 2022, coming off the bench in all six games and scoring four goals. Now a regular starter for her country, the Arsenal striker has a total of 22 goals in 50 international appearances. The 26-year-old found the net 20 times in 41 games for the Gunners last season. Russo scored the opening goal in a 2-1 defeat by Spain in the Lionesses' last outing and I'm backing her to get England off the mark again. England Women vs Jamaica Women odds All odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at the time of publication and subject to change.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
New-look Lionesses head to Switzerland looking to conquer Europe once again
England head to Switzerland with a new look but with the same goal as three years ago when they conquered Europe. The Lionesses are tasked with defending their first major title at this summer's European Championship, having lifted the trophy at Wembley and transformed women's football across the country. Advertisement But four of Sarina Wiegman's unchanged starting line-up from 2022 have now retired. Ellen White hung up her boots shortly after, then Rachel Daly retired from international football in 2024. FIFA Best and Sports Personality of the Year-winning goalkeeper Mary Earps shockingly called time on her England career late last month, quickly followed by attacking midfielder Fran Kirby. Add an announcement from World Cup captain Millie Bright, who made herself unavailable for selection in order to address her physical and mental health, and some started to wonder if this could be a summer of struggle for England. Advertisement But the Lionesses have brushed aside that speculation, insisting once again this is a 'new England' ahead of their title defence. Arsenal striker Russo has a bigger role to play this summer (Bradley Collyer/PA) While many of Wiegman's 13 2022 returnees – like Arsenal striker Alessia Russo and Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton – have significantly stepped up in responsibility, seven major tournament newcomers will also be looking to make their mark. Aggie Beever-Jones has enjoyed a breakout season at Chelsea, last month completing a hat-trick on her Wembley debut for England, while 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang – who has returned to Arsenal after a Brighton loan spell – scored 41 seconds into her maiden senior international appearance in April. Advertisement Stalwarts like Chelsea defender Lucy Bronze – heading into her seventh major tournament and fourth consecutive Euros – will provide the experience. And while England may not be able to replicate the magic of that maiden trophy on home soil, winning one away from home would be another historic achievement. Wales have qualified for their first major tournament (Nick Potts/PA) Wales, meanwhile, qualified for their first major tournament after beating the Republic of Ireland in a dramatic 2-1 second-leg victory to win their play-off 3-2 on aggregate. Boss Rhian Wilkinson has used Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), Wales' highest peak, as a metaphor for their mission in Switzerland. Wales are the lowest-ranked team in the Euros, drawn in a very difficult group with holders England, 2017 winners the Netherlands and 2022 semi-finalists France, but Wilkinson has insisted her side are not simply just happy to be included. Speaking from the top of Yr Wyddfa, she said: 'As we've moved towards the Euros we've talked about the summit, the Everest part of it. That something is impossible until it isn't. Advertisement 'Outside Wales people can think whatever they want. 'Our goal is to show up and deliver to the best of our ability. I am sure people will be looking up Wales on a map very soon.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
New-look Lionesses head to Switzerland looking to conquer Europe once again
England head to Switzerland with a new look but with the same goal as three years ago when they conquered Europe. The Lionesses are tasked with defending their first major title at this summer's European Championship, having lifted the trophy at Wembley and transformed women's football across the country. But four of Sarina Wiegman's unchanged starting line-up from 2022 have now retired. Ellen White hung up her boots shortly after, then Rachel Daly retired from international football in 2024. FIFA Best and Sports Personality of the Year-winning goalkeeper Mary Earps shockingly called time on her England career late last month, quickly followed by attacking midfielder Fran Kirby. Add an announcement from World Cup captain Millie Bright, who made herself unavailable for selection in order to address her physical and mental health, and some started to wonder if this could be a summer of struggle for England. But the Lionesses have brushed aside that speculation, insisting once again this is a 'new England' ahead of their title defence. While many of Wiegman's 13 2022 returnees – like Arsenal striker Alessia Russo and Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton – have significantly stepped up in responsibility, seven major tournament newcomers will also be looking to make their mark. Aggie Beever-Jones has enjoyed a breakout season at Chelsea, last month completing a hat-trick on her Wembley debut for England, while 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang – who has returned to Arsenal after a Brighton loan spell – scored 41 seconds into her maiden senior international appearance in April. Stalwarts like Chelsea defender Lucy Bronze – heading into her seventh major tournament and fourth consecutive Euros – will provide the experience. And while England may not be able to replicate the magic of that maiden trophy on home soil, winning one away from home would be another historic achievement. Wales, meanwhile, qualified for their first major tournament after beating the Republic of Ireland in a dramatic 2-1 second-leg victory to win their play-off 3-2 on aggregate. Boss Rhian Wilkinson has used Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), Wales' highest peak, as a metaphor for their mission in Switzerland. Wales are the lowest-ranked team in the Euros, drawn in a very difficult group with holders England, 2017 winners the Netherlands and 2022 semi-finalists France, but Wilkinson has insisted her side are not simply just happy to be included. Speaking from the top of Yr Wyddfa, she said: 'As we've moved towards the Euros we've talked about the summit, the Everest part of it. That something is impossible until it isn't. 'Outside Wales people can think whatever they want. 'Our goal is to show up and deliver to the best of our ability. I am sure people will be looking up Wales on a map very soon.'
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Euro 2025: How have England evolved? What are Wales' chances?
There is just one week to go until the start of the Women's champions England head to Switzerland as one of the tournament favourites despite a chaotic build-up, while Wales make their debut at a major women's asked women's football fans on Reddit for their questions, external for BBC Sport women's football news reporter Emma Sanders about the is a selection of the best ones: How do you think England's squad has evolved since the last major tournament, and who do you see as the key player this time around? Reddit user: Moyesy1982It's interesting because I don't think there's as much depth but I think the talent has got stronger with some incredibly gifted youngsters breaking through. Grace Clinton, Jess Park and Aggie Beever-Jones are great examples of that. But I think they are light in midfield and they don't have as much pace in the backline. I don't think those issues were quite as glaring in 2022. The key player for me is Alessia Russo. She has had a great season and they need her goalscoring form to continue in the Euros. Although Lauren Hemp and Lauren James, when fully fit, can be serial match-winners. I'm a Wales fan - what do you make of our chances? hairiestlemonWales are in such a tough group and it's their first Euros. Unfortunately, I think they will struggle to reach the knockout stage but I'm intrigued to see how they do against England in that final group match if there's still something to play for. Both sets of players will know each other well. Are there any teams or players that you feel could 'break out' and rise to a higher level this summer? VolotorI'm really excited to see how Salma Paralluelo gets on. She's a big name in Barcelona and Spain because she was part of the squads that won back-to-back Champions League trophies, before playing a key role at the 2023 World Cup. I don't think she's spoken about enough globally, despite winning the young player of the tournament in Australia. She's such a threat up front and has two-time Ballon d'Or winners Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati playing alongside her to create opportunities. They naturally take the limelight so I hope Paralluelo can stand out again in Switzerland. A player you wish was playing but isn't because of injury, not being called up etc? NewAccountNowI would have loved to have seen Portugal's attacking star Kika Nazareth. I think she is a key player for them and will be missing because of a serious ankle injury she picked up while playing with Barcelona towards the end of the season. Despite only being 22, she has made almost 50 international appearances, scoring 10 goals. She was part of the 2023 World Cup squad, a year before her Portuguese record 500,000 euros move to Barcelona from Benfica, which underlines the potential she has. How do you think the Lionesses will deal with the expectations from both inside and outside the camp? Do you think there's added pressure from the UK media to retain the trophy, or are they being realistic? CosmicPenguin31Certainly from my perspective, I think the general consensus among the media is that Spain are tournament favourites. With England's tough group, and the chaotic build-up for the squad with player withdrawals, I think expectations externally are lower. But internally they are always very high and I know players like Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood will be demanding high standards in training. If England progress well, the pressure and scrutiny will increase but manager Sarina Wiegman keeps them in a pretty tight bubble so they are used to that. What's it like covering a tournament on the ground? Do you have any favourite behind-the-scenes moments from the past Euros or World Cups? And do reporters tend to form a kind of travelling community over the course of a month-long tournament? HakunaMateta25It's so much fun but very intense too. You do spend a lot of time with the other journalists and I'm lucky that there are some incredible people working in women's football who I consider close friends. We share travel itineraries, give each other restaurant recommendations and tips for local transport. We often have various WhatsApp groups for things like social activities, travel and reporting (the dreaded embargo agreement chats). We usually get a clear day off and night in between the group stage and knockout rounds which we use to switch off and meet up for a big social night, usually going out for also play friendly football matches against media packs from other countries. We usually get thrashed because they have loads of ex-pros! Who do you think will be victorious? I think it's Spain's to lose but would love to hear your thoughts! AwayDays365I agree, Spain are heavy favourites. I personally think Germany will win. I just have a feeling that having missed out three years ago, they are up to it this time. They scored lots of goals in their Women's Nations League campaign coming into the tournament and have a nice blend of experienced players and exciting youngsters in the squad. They will fancy themselves to top Group C and get off to a strong start in the tournament. How do you think England will do at the Euros? Especially with everything that has gone on recently. kjcross1997It's definitely not been ideal preparation. I'm worried about their inconsistent form and think they could find the group stage really tough. My prediction is for them to reach the quarter-finals. I hope I'm wrong and they go further! Who is your underdog pick to make it out of the group stage at the Euros? ejst21A left-field tip is Iceland. They are in a kind group. A lot will look at Norway as favourites to progress from Group A but they have often struggled at major tournaments. Hosts Switzerland will have lots of pressure on them, but also support from a home crowd. I think Iceland could go under the radar and potentially sneak second spot having drawn with both those teams in the Nations League this season.
Irish Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Alessia Russo's thoughts revealed as Arsenal star's brother joins Love Island
As Arsenal and England sensation Alessia Russo gears up to spearhead her nation's quest at the forthcoming European Championships, her sibling Gio Russo is set for a contrasting summer stint on Love Island. Gio, short for Giorgio and a former semi-professional footballer himself, has expressed his excitement about joining the reality TV show, noting that his sister, a keen Love Island enthusiast, is rooting for him. "She's really excited, she watches every year and reckons I can do well so she's excited to see how I get on," Gio told ITV. With Gio looking for love, he has also outlined the need for any potential partner to be into sport. "My sister plays pro football, so being interested in sport, they don't have to know football or understand it, but if they can show some sort of interest because it is such a prominent thing in our family," he said. "It would be hard if they hated it. "Other green flags are having a nice family, I'm sick of being the 7th wheel in my own family!" added Gio ahead of his late addition to the show, which began on June 9. The timing of the reality show meand Gio could miss a great deal of Alessia's involvement at the Euros. England begin their campaign against France on July 5, with The Netherlands and Wales rounding off the group. England and France were also paired together in qualifying, with Alessia scoring for Sarina Wiegman's team during a victory in Saint-Etienne. The Arsenal star scored four times for the Lionesses as they won the Euros on home soil in 2022, and was England's top scorer in qualifying for the 2025 tournament with three. Wiegman's team have a farewell friendly on Sunday, at home to Jamaica at the King Power Stadium. Alessia Russo scored in England's most recent game, a UEFA Nations League match away to Spain, though that ended in a narrow 2-1 defeat. Gio, isn't the only islander with football connections. Dejon Noel-Williams, son of former Watford striker Gifton and a Grenada international footballer in his own right, is also part of the line-up. "I've met all kinds of famous people through him," said Dejon, who works as a personal trainer and semi-pro footballer. "When I was younger it was weird because he was just my dad, but we'd go to a game and fans were asking for photos. I've met David Beckham, he was really nice."
