England’s youth side faces a critical match against Ukraine in their bid to top EURO 2025 qualifying Group F. Currently, Ukraine leads the group by five points, and only the group winners are guaranteed progression. However, the three best second-place teams from across the nine groups also secure automatic qualification for the tournament in Slovakia.
England’s team is spearheaded by Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who will lead a star-studded lineup featuring Aston Villa’s mainstay Morgan Rogers and Ipswich Town’s in-form Liam Delap. The match is scheduled for 7:45 pm.
Speaking from the Young Lions training camp at Eastleigh’s Silverlake Stadium, Harwood-Bellis shared his thoughts on the upcoming game and the team’s ambitions:
Taylor Harwood-Bellis said, “It’ll be good, really good. It’s a big game for us. Ukraine are a good side. They’re an organised team, and we’ve worked hard this week. Of course, we want to win every game. Obviously, not just because of us getting beat at their place. I think it’s important for the group for us to win the game and hopefully win the group and qualify. But I think we prepare like we do every other game. It’s not my first thought going into every game, but it’d be nice to get my name on the score sheet. Keep a clean sheet first, and then we’ll go from there.”
Furthermore, Harwood-Bellis expressed his personal goals and aspirations, particularly his desire to impress Lee Carsley, the former under-21s boss and current Three Lions interim head coach:
Taylor Harwood-Bellis said “It’s good to be playing in a top league in your own country. I think that’s what I’d say most of the boys are aspiring to do. It’s just playing in the Premier League. It’s the best league in the world. It’s enjoyable, and you just want to stay there for as long as possible. I’ve spent a lot of time working under Lee. It’s enjoyable watching him with the seniors. Hopefully, I can push myself to get working under him again.”
This clash with Ukraine marks the penultimate qualifier for England, with a final group match against Azerbaijan scheduled at Ashton Gate on Tuesday, October 15. The Young Lions need to win both matches and hope for Ukraine to drop points in their away fixture against Serbia to secure the top spot and guarantee qualification.
