England WU19 squad for round two of EURO qualifying

England women's under-19s will travel to Switzerland this Wednesday in a bid to qualify for the UEFA WU19 EURO in Belgium in July.

The four-nation mini-tournament also involving Spain, Belarus and Slovenia is being staged at Colovray sports centre in Nyon, the home of European football’s governing body. 

Emma Coates’ squad will start with Slovenia on Wednesday 5 April (1.15pm BST), having already beaten the same opposition 5-0 in the first stage of qualifying last October. 

The next fixture is with Belarus on Saturday 8 April (10am BST) before the group concludes on Tuesday 11 April against Spain (1.15pm BST)

The Young Lionesses had prepared for these fixtures in February with a narrow 2-1 loss to Germany, which ended a five-match unbeaten run this season, before returning to winning ways with a 3-0 defeat of Switzerland.

Only the team that tops the qualifying group will reach the eight-team finals in Belgium, with the tournament to be played between 18-30 July. 

England have already secured a place at the UEFA WU17 EURO in Estonia, with that competition running from 14-26 May.

Emma Coates said: “We are very much ready and looking forward to the qualifying games ahead of us. The players are in a good place and we’ve left no stone unturned in our planning. 

“We have three fixtures against three very different types of oppositions and styles, which are great challenges for our players to be exposed to. 

Of course, every team wants to make it to the finals and our focus will be on the things that contribute to that objective, taking it game by game.”  

England WU19 squad

Goalkeepers: Khiara Keating (Coventry United, on loan from Manchester City), Faye Kirby (Liverpool), Natalia Negri (Crystal Palace)

Defenders: Katie Dungate (Chelsea), Grace Gillard (Syracuse University), Naomi Layzell (Bristol City), Lucy Parry (Hibernian, on loan from Liverpool), Evie Rabjohn (Aston Villa), Hannah Silcock (Liverpool)

Midfielders: Elysia Boddy (Bristol City), Emily Brough (Clemson University), Alex Hennessy (Charlton Athletic), Annie Hutchings (Blackburn Rovers, dual registered with Manchester City), Lucia Kendall (Southampton), Olivia McLoughlin (Birmingham City, on loan from Aston Villa), Grace Palmer (Lewes), Mackenzie Smith (Nottingham Forest, dual registered with Leicester City)

Forwards: Mia Enderby (Sheffield United), Freya Godfrey (Ipswich Town, dual registered with Arsenal), Leyla O’Brien (MK Dons, dual registered with Arsenal), Katy Watson (Sunderland)