AC/DC’s Shook Me ALl Night Long has been replaced by an excitable PA announcer, who tells the crowd that the teams are about to enter the pitch. And here they come, full of smiles and relaxed vibes! The crowd has swelled too, so the stadium in Nice looks to be around half-full.
In today’s other game in this group, Scotland are taking on Argentina with a potential route to the knockout stages up for grabs by dint of finishing as one of the best third place teams. Here is the lineup that Shelley Kerr has gone for:
Scotland: Alexander, Smith, Corsie, Beattie, Docherty, Evans, Little, Crichton, Weir, Emslie, Cuthbert.
It looks like this duel for top spot/second spot has not exactly gripped the locals: the stadium looks to be about a quarter full. Mind you, the stadium in Nice is hard to get to – the transport links are frankly rubbish – so maybe there have been delays and and there’ll be an influx in the 30 minutes before kickoff.
Updated
Toni Duggan is on the pitch warming up with the rest of her teammates. In a pre-recorded interview with BBC she says she’s been impressed by the team’s performances so far. “There’s a lot more to come so far but so far it’s been job done. Two games, two wins, and good performances as well against good teams … The girls have handled it so well.” Regarding Japan she says “they’re a great team … they’re really good on the ball, technically very gifted. It’s going to be very tough but I love playing against Japan.”
Teams
After all his brave talk about fielding his best tea in the wholesome pursuit of a victory, Phil Neville has jazzed up his lineup with no fewer than eight changes. Notabe among the newcomers is Toni Duggan, who’ll make her first appearance of the tournament after recovering from injury. Japan have made just two changes.
Japan: Yamashita; Shimizu, Kumagai, Ichise, Sameshima; Kobayashi, Nakajima, Sugita, Endo; Yokoyama, Shimizu
England: Bardsley; Bronze, Houghton, Bright, Stokes; Walsh, Scott; Daly, Duggan, Stanway; White
Referee: C Umpierrez (Uruguay)
Updated
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the decisive match in Group D. We are assured there will be no jiggery pokery here, as the managers of England and Japan say their teams are hellbent on victory even though failure to win might mean an easier path to the final. Yes, winning this group could prove somewhat Pyrrhic, as it could result in facing France or the United States in the semi-finals, whereas finishing runners-up might put off such a showdown until the final. But such calculations are not worth dwelling on for Phil Neville, who says his team are all about trying to beating whomever they come up against – in other words, though a draw might do for them here, playing for a draw just will not do. Besides, what a boost it would be to England to avenge that painful semi-final defeat of four years ago, when Japan prevailed 2-1. So then: Bring. It. On!
Kick-off: 8pm BST, 4am Japan, 9pm local.
Updated