England take on the Netherlands in the semi-finals of the Nations League tonight, with the Three Lions in touching distance of a first piece of competitive silverware since 1966.
After a slow start to their qualifying campaign, Gareth Southgate’s men sealed their place in the finals of the inaugural competition after beating Spain 3-2 away from home before securing a 2-1 comeback win over Croatia.
Standing in between England and a place in the final is a newly rejuvenated Netherlands team that, after failing to make the 2018 World Cup, has rediscovered its form and menace. Follow live coverage of the match below.
The Three Lions' preparations for Thursday's Nations League semi-final with Holland in Guimaraes have been overshadowed by another night of disruption in nearby Porto.
England supporters clashed with Portuguese police and were seen hurling bottles, prompting some local families watching the hosts' match against Switzerland in a fan zone to flee with their crying children.
'England 'til I die' filled the air along with more unsavoury chants - just the latest embarrassing chapter when the Three Lions travel abroad, with trouble marring last year's trips to Amsterdam and Seville.
An FA spokesperson said: "The FA strongly condemns the scenes witnessed in Porto overnight. Anyone responsible for these disturbances cannot be seen as true England supporters and are not welcome in football.
"They are an embarrassment to the team and the thousands of well-behaved fans who follow England in the right way.
"We are liaising with the UK Football Policing Unit."
The Three Lions take on Ronald Koeman's Holland in Guimaraes on Thursday night with hosts Portugal waiting for the winners in the final.
A press release circulated late on Tuesday evening suggested Sterling would lead out the Three Lions to mark the occasion of his 50th cap.
There was no official confirmation from the Football Association at the time, while Southgate remained tight-lipped over who would wear the armband when he addressed the media at his pre-match press conference.
The press release read: "The Football Writers' Footballer of the Year is set to wear the Captain's armband for England's UEFA Nations League semi-final fixture against The Netherlands in Portugal, on Thursday evening, 6th June."
But, amid reports the Manchester City man will captain the side, Sterling insisted he knew nothing of the release and had not spoken to anyone, including Southgate, before Tuesday evening - revealing he apologised to the England boss when he realised what had happened.
"I couldn't tell you that," Sterling replied when asked what had prompted the release of the statement.
"I woke up this morning fuming. I hadn't had a conversation with Gareth or anyone in my agency, so it was a strange one to wake up to.
"The first thing I did after I came off the phone to my agent was see Gareth down the hallway, and I apologised to him for what had happened. I don't know where that's come from."
Southgate would not be drawn on who would captain his side in Guimaraes, given there are fitness concerns over regular skipper Harry Kane.
The Tottenham forward appeared jaded as he made his first start for seven weeks in Saturday's 2-0 Champions League defeat to Liverpool.
Southgate refused to rule Kane out of the contest against the Dutch and would not give away any of his team selection in advance so as not to give Holland boss Ronald Koeman an advantage.
"If I confirm anything about the team other than that Raheem is playing, I'm doing half of Ronald's job for him," he said.
"I don't want to discuss the captaincy. Harry Kane is our captain. If he doesn't play, then I have a decision to make. I'm not prepared to say whether Harry Kane is playing tomorrow."
There, the 30th international Marveld Tournament will be taking place. The event is not just one of the most prestigious underage competitions on the continent but - crucially - the last one for under-15s before they turn under-16. The latter is the age band at which young players can move within the EU, and players can be picked up for a mere £130,000 at the end of contracts.
It is why many of the top clubs often send their first-team scouts, rather than just their academy scouts, to the event.
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He has been directly involved in 34% of the 59 goals scored by England under Gareth Southgate with 17 goals and 3 assists; a higher share than any of his teammates.
"It's been a strange, different sort of preparation but every time you get together, there are always complications of some sort," he said.
"We lost eight players with injury in March and young players came in and played brilliantly. We've shown incredible adaptability and resilience as a team.
"I have to assess all the players who were involved in Madrid. It was a unique game and set of circumstances, whether you won or lost, there are emotional and physical implications, and the fact they only arrived on Tuesday and there's been a lot of tactical work to be done."
Match preview:
When is it?
England vs Netherlands kicks off at 7.45pm on Thursday 6 June. The match is being staged at the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques in Guimaraes, Portugal.
How can I watch it?
The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Football. Coverage starts at 7pm.
Sky Sports subscribers will also be able to stream the match via the SkyGo app.
Predicted line-ups
England (4-2-1-3): Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Chilwell; Rice, Barkley; Lingard; Sancho, Sterling, Rashford.
Netherlands (4-3-3): Cillessen; Dumfries, Van Dijk, De Ligt, Blind; De Jong, Van de Beek, De Roon; Bergwijn, Babel, Depay.
