Wiegman Makes Four Changes for England Vs Ukraine in Liverpool
England vs Ukraine brought four changes to Sarina Wiegman’s starting XI at Hill Dickinson Stadium, with kick-off set for 8pm BST in the Group A3 Women’s World Cup qualifier. The shift came after Friday’s loss to Spain in Mallorca, when England were level on points with Spain but stayed second on head-to-head record.
Sarina Wiegman in Liverpool
Wiegman said the response was about energy as much as selection. “Every game you don’t win, it hurts. Friday was a hard one because we didn’t create any momentum,” she said before the match. “Of course you want to win but always when we lose, win or draw we look at things we can do better but when you lose it makes it more urgent.”
She added that England wanted “some freshness and some other players” and expected “very tight spaces.” Laura Blindkilde Brown got the nod in midfield, with Wiegman saying she “position herself really well, she finds the ball and that’s why we brought her in.”
England’s four changes
The changes gave England a line-up of Hannah Hampton, Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, Millie Bright, Alex Greenwood, Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway, Laura Blindkilde Brown, Lauren Hemp, Alessia Russo and Lauren James. That selection followed the Mallorca defeat and the broader context that England were expected to head into the playoffs later in the year unless results broke unusually in their favor.
The move also reflected a practical need to manage a group that had just absorbed a heavy loss and still had work to do in qualifying. England did not need a reminder that every point still mattered in Group A3; they needed a cleaner performance and a team that could start faster than they did on Friday.
Ukraine at Hill Dickinson Stadium
Ukraine lined up with Kateryna Boklach in goal behind Maryna Savka, Olha Olkhova, Yuliia Shmatko, Yana Shaynyuk, Yana Kotyk, Yelyzaveta Zaborovets, Daria Molodiuk, Daria Kohut, Yuliia Kunina and Yuliia Boychuk. The away end was expected to hold a decent number of supporters, but the selection story belonged to England and the four changes Wiegman made to reset the side after Spain.
For England, the immediate task was clear: answer the Mallorca defeat with a sharper showing in Liverpool and keep control of a qualifying path that already pointed toward the playoffs later in the year.
