Lionesses to face Portugal in October friendly

The FA has confirmed that England women will play a friendly in Portugal on October 8 as part of their Euro 2021 preparations.

The game is part of a double-header that starts with a fixture against Brazil in Middesbrough on October 5.

As hosts of the 2021 European Championships, the Lionesses have no competitive fixtures before the tournament, but a large number of the team are expected to feature in Phil Nevill's Team GB squad at Tokyo 2020.

The Portugal game will be the first meeting between the two nations since England won 2-1 in the group stages of Euro 2017 in the Netherlands.

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Coach Phil Neville said: "This will be another important match for us as we work to be ready for 2021."

The Lionesses have experienced a poor run of form since the World Cup in France in the summer, drawing with Belgium and losing to Norway in friendly games. 

Neville's team will also be playing a friendly at Wembley against Germany on November 9.