England Manager Lee Carsley Sees His Side As Underdogs Ahead of Euro Under-21 Championship Semi-Final Against Israel
England manager Lee Carsley has said that his side are not the “favourites” ahead of their Euro Under-21 Championship semi-final against Israel in Georgia on Wednesday. The Young Lions are hoping to make their first appearance in the competition’s final since 2009, and have yet to concede a goal in the tournament.
Carsley has urged his players to “express themselves” and not to get too caught up in the excitement of the game. He has also warned against taking anything for granted against Israel, saying that both sides are on a level playing field.
Heading into the semi-final, England will be without Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey, who has had to withdraw with an ankle injury he suffered during the quarter-final win over Portugal. West Ham defender Ben Johnson and Norwich full-back Max Aarons are also suspended after picking up two yellow cards.
Despite the absence of some key players, Carsley has a lot of options to choose from with a number of his squad playing regularly in the Premier League, some having already moved for big transfer fees. Morgan Gibbs-White moved to Nottingham Forest from Wolves for a deal worth up to £42.5m, Anthony Gordon swapped Everton for Newcastle for a deal worth £45m and goalkeeper James Trafford is close to completing a £15m transfer to Burnley from Manchester City.
Carsley has said that the players take the price tags in their stride and that they are very level-headed and humble. Aarons has been linked with his own big-money move away from Norwich this summer and does not think players’ price tags matter once they are on the pitch.
## England Hoping To Reach First Final Since 2009
England are hoping to make their first appearance in the Euro Under-21 Championship final since 2009 when they take on Israel in the semi-final on Wednesday. The Young Lions have yet to concede a goal in the tournament and are being tipped to progress having already beaten Israel in the group stage.
Manager Lee Carsley has urged his players to “express themselves” and not to get too caught up in the excitement of the game. He has also warned against taking anything for granted against Israel, saying that both sides are on a level playing field.
England will be without Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey, who has had to withdraw with an ankle injury he suffered during the quarter-final win over Portugal. West Ham defender Ben Johnson and Norwich full-back Max Aarons are also suspended after picking up two yellow cards.
## England Squad Boasts Impressive Price Tags
Despite the absence of some key players, Carsley has a lot of options to choose from with a number of his squad playing regularly in the Premier League, some having already moved for big transfer fees. Morgan Gibbs-White moved to Nottingham Forest from Wolves for a deal worth up to £42.5m, Anthony Gordon swapped Everton for Newcastle for a deal worth £45m and goalkeeper James Trafford is close to completing a £15m transfer to Burnley from Manchester City.
Carsley has said that the players take the price tags in their stride and that they are very level-headed and humble. Aarons has been linked with his own big-money move away from Norwich this summer and does not think players’ price tags matter once they are on the pitch.
## Follow Live Text Updates
Follow live text updates from Israel U21 v England U21 in the Euro U21 Championship semi-final on the BBC Sport website & app, on Wednesday, 5 July from 17:00 BST.
England manager Lee Carsley is hoping that his side can make their first appearance in the Euro Under-21 Championship final since 2009 when they take on Israel in the semi-final on Wednesday. Despite being without some key players, Carsley has a lot of options to choose from with a number of his squad playing regularly in the Premier League, some having already moved for big transfer fees. Carsley has said that the players take the price tags in their stride and that they are very level-headed and humble. Follow live text updates from Israel U21 v England U21 in the Euro U21 Championship semi-final on the BBC Sport website & app, on Wednesday, 5 July from 17:00 BST.