England Women will face Norway and Sweden in the new year

Wednesday 07 Dec 2016

England Women will travel to Murcia to play Sweden and Norway in January.

Mark Sampson's side will face Norway, 11th in the FIFA world rankings, on Sunday 22 January in La Manga, and sixth-placed Sweden on Tuesday 24 January at the Pinatar Arena.

The matches are part of the Lionesses' preparations for next summer's Euros, which will be played in Netherlands.

England defeated Norway 2-1 in the last 16 of the 2015 World Cup, with goals from Steph Houghton and Lucy Bronze, before going on to finish third at the tournament.

England last faced Sweden in Hartlepool in August 2014 when a brace from Karen Carney and a goal apiece from debutant Fran Kirby and Lianne Sanderson secured a comprehensive 4-0 win.

Sampson said: “These matches will be a vital part of our preparation for the Euros on and off the pitch.

“Sweden and Norway are excellent sides who will both be considered contenders for European Championship. They will provide tough tests for us and we'll need to be playing at our best in these games.

“We've been working to secure matches against a variety of European opposition ahead of the tournament, so we can be as ready for anything we might come up against next summer as possible.”

The Lionesses will open their Euro 2017 campaign against Scotland in Utrecht (19 July), before facing Spain in Breda (23 July) and Portugal in Tilburg (27 July).

By FA Staff