SOCCER
Why isn’t Harry Kane playing for England against Belgium today?
England will again be without captain Kane when Gareth Southgate’s men take on Belgium in an international friendly on Tuesday.
Harry Kane won’t be involved in England’s friendly with Belgium today, as the Bayern Munich striker continues to recover from the ankle problem that also sidelined him for the Thee Lions’ weekend defeat to Brazil.
Kane “won’t be ready” for Belgium
“Harry Kane will return to Germany for treatment,” Southgate told reporters after England were beaten 1-0 in Saturday’s friendly with the five-time world champions. “He won’t be ready to play against Belgium on Tuesday.”
Kane, who is England’s captain and all-time top scorer, sustained the injury in Bayern’s 5-2 Bundesliga win over Darmstadt 10 days ago.
Unbeaten Wembley run at an end
In the 30-year-old’s absence against Brazil, England suffered their first defeat at Wembley since going down to Denmark in the UEFA Nations League in October 2020.
Teenage substitute Endrick Felipe, who is to join LaLiga giants Real Madrid in the summer, gave the Brazilians victory with an 80th-minute tap-in, after Jordan Pickford had saved Vinícius Júnior’s shot.
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Rice to lead England on Tuesday
Declan Rice will stand in as England skipper against Belgium, in a game that will see the Arsenal midfielder complete a half-century of international caps.
“On my 50th cap, to walk out at Wembley in front of my family and friends, it’s an absolute honour,” Rice told Monday’s pre-match press conference ahead of the Belgium game. “I’m a bit speechless.”
England to go nameless against Belgians
England are to wear nameless shirts in the second half of Tuesday’s friendly at Wembley, as part of a campaign to help raise awareness about dementia.
The disappearance of players’ names after half time will “highlight memory loss as one of the symptoms of dementia”, the Football Association said.
England vs Belgium: kick-off time, how to watch
England host Belgium today, Tuesday 26 March 2024, with kick-off at Wembley scheduled for 7:45pm local time. In the United States, that’s 3:45pm ET/12:45pm PT. Viewers in the US will be able to watch the game on ViX.