England got their campaign off to the perfect start on Thursday. They picked up their first win in Italy since 1961 when they won 2-1 in Naples.
Goals from Declan Rice and Harry Kane in the first half put Southgate’s side in the ascendency. They resisted a barrage of pressure from the hosts in the second half to hold out for a memorable win.
Southgate will be forced into at least one change following Luke Shaw’s red card at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. Chelsea star Ben Chilwell is set to come in at left-back.
However, it is widely reported that Maddison will come into the team too. The Leicester star hasn’t won a cap for his country since his debut in 2019.
Maddison didn’t play a single minute at the World Cup in Qatar as a knee injury restricted his availability. But his form at club level is set to be rewarded with a first start at senior international level.
Sky Sports News reports that Maddison is set to play on the left wing, which would likely see Jack Grealish drop to the bench. The Telegraph says Jordan Henderson is also fully fit following illness and could come into the midfield to replace Kalvin Phillips.
Maddison missed a month of action after the World Cup as he continued his recovery from the knee issue. Southgate admits he was surprised the 26-year-old was not able to feature earlier for the Foxes.
He said: “He obviously missed a period when he came back from the World Cup. That was a little bit of a surprise because we felt he was in a good place when he left us.
“We have been working closely with Leicester’s medical team over the last few weeks, our medics, and we’ve got a clear picture of what his training schedule is. He is one who isn’t able to train as regularly as you’d like but in the games he has been in he has had a good impact so we still wanted the opportunity to pick him.
“But, we know we have got to manage him carefully.”
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