Blues forward Omari Hutchinson and his England U21s teammates will be looking to secure qualification to the knockout stage of the European Championship when they face Germany in Nitra, Slovakia this evening (KO 8pm, Channel 4).
Hutchinson, 21, started and impressed as the Young Lions beat Czechia 3-1 in the opening game, then came on as a 64th-minute sub in Sunday’s dull 0-0 draw with Slovenia, taking his U21s caps total to six without adding to his two goals.
England need a point to join the Germans in confirming qualification but they could still go through even if they’re defeated depending on the result of the Czechia-Slovenia match. They would face either Spain or Italy in the quarter-finals.
Former Blues striker Liam Delap is not in the squad with his new club Chelsea understood to have come to an agreement with the FA which saw him withdrawn from the competition in favour of the Club World Cup in the US in which he made his debut as a 64th-minute sub in the 2-0 victory over Los Angeles FC on Monday, picking up an assist soon after coming on.
Town forward Jaden Philogene would have been in the squad but for the knee injury he suffered with the Blues in April.
England U21s: James Beadle (Brighton and Hove Albion), Teddy Sharman-Lowe (Chelsea), Tommy Simkin (Stoke City), Charlie Cresswell (FC Toulouse), Ronnie Edwards (Southampton), CJ Egan-Riley (Burnley), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Brooke Norton Cuffy (Genoa), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jobe Bellingham (Sunderland), Archie Gray (Tottenham Hotspur), Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough), Jack Hinshelwood (Brighton and Hove Albion), Tyler Morton (Liverpool), Alex Scott (AFC Bournemouth), Harvey Elliott (Liverpool), Omari Hutchinson (Ipswich Town), Sam Iling Jnr (Aston Villa), James McAtee (Manchester City), Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal), Jonathan Rowe (Marseille), Jay Stansfield (Birmingham City).