England v Ireland LIVE: Nations League team news and lineups as Kyle Walker starts at centre-back

The four third-placed teams from League A make up Pot 1 as seeded sides, while the four runners-up from League B, including either England or Greece from Group B2, enter Pot 2.

Pot 2 teams are drawn first, then the seeded Pot 1 teams are drawn to complete the playoffs, and the other matches are played at the home of the Pot 1 sides.

Nations currently in the relegation play-off spot in League A groups are Poland, Belgium, Hungary and Serbia, although much could change in the final matchweek.

The play-offs are scheduled to take place between 20 and 23 March 2025.

England will secure promotion with a win over Ireland. If the Three Lions tie, they will still go up if Greece do not win, while they will also go up regardless of Greece losing.

Greece advance with a win over Finland and England failing to win, or if the 2004 European champions draw and England lose.

If England fail to secure top spot, England will be forced to tackle the League A/B play-offs to secure promotion. That task will place them against a third-place finish from League A.

England face the Republic of Ireland at Wembley Stadium on Sunday to conclude their Nations League group stage.

The Three Lions’ rivals for top spot are Greece, who travel to Finland, bottom of Group B2 and without a win so far.

Lee Carsley ends his interim spell in charge before Thomas Tuchel takes over next year and begins the road to the 2026 World Cup.

Here’s everything you need to know about England’s hopes of securing promotion to League A:

England looked very solid and aggressive against Greece, with Jordan Pickford having an excellent display between the posts. Lee Carsley’s young side excelled at the top end of the pitch and will be looking to end this international break in style.

England 4-0 Ireland.

England XI: Henderson; Lewis, Walker, Guehi, Hall; Gallagher, Jones; Bowen, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane

Ireland XI: Kelleher; Doherty, Collins, Scales, O’Dowda; Edosele, Cullen, McAteer, Johnston; Parrott, Ferguson

Lee Carsley confirmed that Harry Kane will start against Ireland after coming on as a second-half substitute against Greece during the week. Ezri Konsa went out with a hip injury during that game, so Jarell Quansah or Taylor Harwood-Bellis could be in line for a debut.

Expect Carsley to make changes to the line-up with Jarrod Bowen, Morgan Rogers and Morgan Gibbs-White among those who could be handed a starting spot.

Ireland’s Jason Knight picked up a second yellow card from the group against Finland on Thursday, meaning he is suspended for this game, and Festy Ebosele picked up a knock and is a doubt for the match.

Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson may decide to change things up and could bring Jayson Molumby into midfield to partner Josh Cullen, while Troy Parrott would offer fresh legs at the top of the pitch.

When is England vs Ireland?

The Nations League final will take place on Sunday 17 November with kick-off at 17 GMT.

Where can I watch the match?

England vs Ireland will be shown live on ITV1 and STV. It can be streamed via ITVX on compatible devices, as well as the STV player.

The Three Lions come into the match having beaten Greece 3-0 on Thursday night in a confident display that put them top of Group B2 and should have their opponents worried. The match is also Lee Carsley’s last game in charge as interim boss before incoming manager Thomas Tuchel begins his reign in full force on January 1.

A win against the Irish would be enough to secure promotion back to the top tier of the Nations League and allow Tuchel to focus solely on the 2026 World Cup rather than face a possible two-legged play-off for Uefa’s international competition .

Ireland, meanwhile, will be hoping to build on a 1-0 win over Finland and take the challenge to their nearest neighbors in what could be a historic result should they prove victorious.

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent live coverage of tonight’s match between England and Ireland at Wembley.

The Three Lions sit top of Group B2 ahead of the final game of the group campaign and are chasing promotion, which they will get if they manage to match or better Greece’s result against Finland.

For Ireland, there is no hope of promotion or fear of relegation, but they will dream of securing a famous away result against Lee Carsley’s side.