Stopping Sam Kerr and decisions at both ends – the key issues for England

England will look to extend their unbeaten run to 31 games when they host Australia at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium on Tuesday night.

The friendly against the number 10 team in FIFA’s world rankings is the Lionesses’ last scheduled game against international competition before they travel Down Under, where they will open their World Cup campaign against Group D opponents Haiti in Brisbane on July 22nd.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the key talking points ahead of the Matildas match-up.

Will Sam Kerr be the one to stop the streak?

Australia striker Sam Kerr has scored 13 goals and picked up four assists across 24 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea this season. No lead ever feels safe when the 29-year-old is on the pitch, with Blues boss Emma Hayes singling out the forward’s steely focus as her “standout attribute”. Injuries to Debinha and Marta meant the Lionesses avoided two of Brazil’s top attacking weapons in last week’s Finalissima, but they likely will not be so lucky this time – in fact, Kerr was rested for her side’s friendly against Scotland on Friday, so she will be dangerously fresh to face England.

Who will replace Alex Greenwood?

Defender Alex Greenwood withdrew from the Lionesses squad on Friday afternoon after taking a knock to her head against Brazil, and returned to Manchester City where she will be assessed. Wiegman confirmed Greenwood had left camp after feeling concussion symptoms, and said the team “did not want to take any risks, we wanted to follow protocol, so she went back home.” Greenwood’s injury follows that of fellow defender Millie Bright, who was also forced to withdraw, but Wiegman has options at the back including Niamh Charles and Lotte-Wubben Moy, who could come in against Australia.

Options up front

While Wiegman does not expect to make many changes, we could still see at least one up front. Both Alessia Russo and Rachel Daly are still auditioning for England’s first-choice number nine role – previously occupied by the retired Ellen White – and the Finalissima hardly made the England boss’ decision any easier. Russo started but Daly came off the bench in the second half and scored one of England’s four winning penalties. With this potentially the final time England will test themselves against top competition, it is possible that Wiegman will want to get another look at what Aston Villa’s Daly, who trails only Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw in the Women’s Super League scoring chart, can do.

Coming down from the Wembley high

Like for the Finalissima, the Lionesses have sold all available tickets for the Australia encounter, but Brentford’s Premier League home holds just 17,250 – that is 65,882 fewer people than the 83,132-strong crowd that packed Wembley last Thursday night. The Lionesses are are no strangers to smaller venues from their club campaigns, but it will be difficult to recreate the same electric atmosphere they enjoyed at the packed ‘home of football’ just last week.

Still, even the quick transition to a smaller stadium could be seen as a benefit before the World Cup, where their smallest group stage venue, Adelaide’s Coopers Stadium, holds 16,500 – and likelier a much smaller contingent of England supporters than the Lionesses, counted among the World Cup favourites, have lately been used to.