England v Bosnia Euro 2024 warm-up friendly preview

As the clock ticks down to England's Euro 2024 campaign, Gareth Southgate and his England squad are gearing up for a crucial warm-up match against Bosnia tonight at St James' Park.

But before we dive into the match, let's take a look at the preliminary squad announced in February. A whopping 33 players were selected, but alas, UEFA's squad rules dictate that the final squad must be trimmed down to 26 players with three goalkeepers. The question on everyone's mind is: who will make the cut?

After careful consideration, we've identified 14 players who are almost certain to feature in the final squad. These stalwarts have been included on the assumption they'll be fit and ready to take the pitch.

1. Jordan Pickford
2. Aaron Ramsdale
3. Kyle Walker
4. John Stones
5. Harry Maguire
6. Kieran Trippier
7. Declan Rice
8. Jude Bellingham
9. Trent Alexander-Arnold
10. Bukayo Saka
11. Harry Kane
12. Phil Foden

That leaves just one goalkeeper spot and 12 outfield positions up for grabs among the remaining 19 players.

Now, let's take a closer look at the squad and identify the players who are in the running to be cut from the squad. Who will be the unlucky ones to miss the final cut.

The likes of Curtis Jones, Jarell Quansah and Jarrad Branthwaite have been included in the provisional camp without having ever made their England debuts, so many feel that they're three of the players that Southgate will cut from his final squad that he takes to Germany for Euro 2024.

However, the friendly games over the next week that the Three Lions will take part in, such as this one against Bosnia, will give fans and commentators a better indication of Southgate's plans for his squad for this summer's tournament.

As we await the squad announcement on June 7, the England squad will face Bosnia in a crucial warm-up match at St James' Park. This will be the second leg of England's St James' Park double header, following the Lionesses' UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifier against France on Friday.

Newcastle United vice-captain Kieran Trippier, a 46-time England international, expressed his excitement about the match in February, saying: "It's great news that England are playing at St James’ Park. The support will be incredible, and it's a good time for people in the region to watch this England side with our fantastic players, both young and experienced."

Southgate echoed Trippier's sentiments, emphasizing the importance of playing on Tyneside: "We're really looking forward to taking the team back to the North East and to a city that is synonymous with football in this country." 
 
As the England squad battles it out against Bosnia, fans can expect an electrifying atmosphere at St James' Park. With the Euro 2024 campaign just around the corner, this warm-up match will provide valuable experience for the Three Lions. 
 
Several key players won't feature in the friendly though, such as Jude Bellingham who is coming off the back of being part of Real Madrid's 15th Champions League win, and Luke Shaw, who is dealing with an injury at the moment and may miss the tournament.

Maguire is also expected to miss tonight's game through injury, but he's further along in his recovery than Shaw, with the working theory being that he'll be fit enough to play for his country in the group stage.

Unsurprisingly, England are the favourites to beat Bosnia, who haven't even qualified for Euro 2024. As the front-runners to win the entire tournament, Southgate will be eager that his side kick things off with a win in Newcastle, whilst still wanting to experiment with a few new players and systems.

With Ladbrokes, you can back an England win with odds of 1/5, with a draw being priced by the bookies at 6/1 with just a few hours until kickoff. Punters fancying a shock win for Bosnia can back that at 9/1, but very few pundits see there being any chance of an England loss this evening.

The game against Bosnia tonight isn't England's only friendly of the week, as they also play Iceland on June 7, the nation that knocked them out of Euro 2016 in surprising fashion. They then have a nine-day break until their opening group game, which will see them share the field with Serbia in Gelsenkirchen.

Ladbrokes recently published a piece looking at the betting odds for each of the nations competing in Euro 2024, starting with the favourites England and working our way down to Georgia, who have been priced at 500/1.

View the latest football odds.

All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.