England will face Austria and Romania in preparation for the delayed Euro 2020 tournament, it has been confirmed.
Gareth Southgate’s side will face Austria first on June 2, before playing Romania on June 6. Both matches will be played in England.
England to Face Austria and Romania in Preparation for Euro 2020
The #ThreeLions will take on Austria and Romania in preparation for this summer’s #EURO2020 finals.
— England (@England) February 3, 2021
Both Games Carried Over From Last Year
England were supposed to face both sides in preparation for the tournament last year. However, both fixtures, as well as the tournament itself, were postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Both Austria and Romania will provide tough tests for England as they look to prepare for Euro 2020 this summer. They are the only two friendlies lined up for England ahead of the tournament due to qualifying for the 2022 World Cup beginning in March.
England last faced Austria in a friendly in 2007, when a goal from Peter Crouch helped England seal a 1-0 win in Vienna.
Franco Foda’s Austria are currently ranked 23rd in the world, and enjoyed a relatively successful 2020, losing just the once. That defeat coincidentally came in a 3-2 defeat against Romania.
The game will also serve as preparations for the Austrians; they qualified for the tournament in second place alongside Poland, and will face Holland, Ukraine and North Macedonia at the Championships.
Romania, meanwhile, are currently ranked 37th in the world. However, unlike Austria, they did not qualify for Euro 2020 after losing out in the play-offs to Iceland.
England have not faced the Easter European side since 2000, when a Kevin Keegan side lost 3-2 after Ioan Ganea converted from the penalty spot in the 88th minute.
Due to the current Coronavirus pandemic, it is unknown whether fans will be able to attend the fixtures. A short statement on the FA website said: “As we continue to work with the Government to get fans back into stadiums as soon as is safe to do so, any ticketing arrangements will be communicated to supporters when relevant.”
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