England predicted line-up vs. Ireland: three changes made as Newcastle and Chelsea stars start

Lee Carsley will take charge of England for the final time on Sunday when the Three Lions conclude their Nations League campaign by welcoming the Republic of Ireland to Wembley.

It will be a fitting send-off for interim head coach Carsley, who earned 40 caps for Ireland during his playing career, but there is also business to attend to – England need to match Greece’s result against Finland and maintain their goal difference advantage in order to earn promotion back to Group A of the Nations League.

With nine players already having withdrawn from the squad due to fitness issues, Carlsey’s options were looking thin before Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa limped off at half-time of the 3-0 win in Athens on Thursday – we’ve got the latest news on his condition and the rest of the team news along with a predicted line-up for the match below.

Goalkeeper & Defence

England were down to the bare bones at centre-half before Konsa’s injury, but there is at least a positive update on his condition. Carsley has told the media that the Villa defender picked up a “slight problem” with his hip which would be scanned on Friday, but also noted that he appeared to be in good condition and walking around freely.

That doesn’t mean that Konsa has yet been passed fit to play, and it remains possible that Kyle Walker may once again be utilised in central defence alongside Marc Guéhi – the alternative is to hand a senior debut to Southampton’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis or Liverpool’s Jarrel Quansah, both of whom were on the bench in Greece.

Lewis Hall may get his first England start at left-back after the deployment of a right-footed player yet again failed to work effectively in that position, while Rico Lewis could start down the right if Walker plays in the middle once more. Jarrad Branthwaite, who was called up as a replacement to the squad after the initial wave of drop-outs, has returned to Everton following an injury issue of his own.

Midfield

Curtis Jones’ impressive debut may earn him a second start on the trot, but Angel Gomes, who didn’t play on Thursday, will also be pushing for more minutes in an England shirt. Lewis, who often played in midfield for Carsley’s Under-21 sides, may also play in the middle depending on the decisions made at full-back.

With little incentive for Carsley to experiment and most of the obvious alternatives unavailable (such as Cole Palmer and Phil Foden), it is more than likely that Jude Bellingham starts at number ten. Morgan Gibbs-White and Morgan Rogers are the alternatives.

Forwards

The unexpected decision to start Ollie Watkins ahead of captain Harry Kane up front against Greece paid off in the form of a goal, but Watkins also struggled to get involved in the build-up, and there is every chance that the Bayern Munich forward returns to the line-up this weekend.

On the flanks, the likes of Rogers and Jarrod Bowen will push for starts but Noni Madueke’s performance on Thursday should be enough to see him start once more, while Anthony Gordon has a clear edge on the left wing despite not being at his best in Athens.

Pickford; Hall, Guéhi, Walker, Lewis; Jones, Gomes, Bellingham; Gordon, Madueke, Kane.