Arsenal midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly will be suspended for England's Nations League clash against Croatia at Wembley Stadium on Thursday, November 12 (7.45pm kick-off). The 20-year-old was named in Thomas Tuchel's 25-man squad on Friday but is unavailable for the match due to a one-match ban.
Lewis-Skelly picked up a second yellow card in the group stage during the last international break, having been cautioned in both the home and away matches against Czechia, which England won 2-0 and 3-0. The suspension rules him out of the Croatia game, but he will be available for the subsequent clash against Spain three days later.
Tuchel faces midfield reshuffle
The England head coach must now adjust his midfield for Thursday's match, as Lewis-Skelly was a regular starter in the last international break, featuring in three of the four games. Declan Rice's return from injury could see him slot back into midfield alongside Jude Bellingham and Elliot Anderson. Another option is to hand Jobe Bellingham his debut, with the Borussia Dortmund player receiving his first England call-up and potentially playing alongside his brother.
Other midfielders in the squad include Josh King, who has also received his first call-up, along with Eberechi Eze and James Garner. Lewis-Skelly has been a key player for Arsenal this season, making 11 appearances in all competitions, mostly as a defensive midfielder, though he can also play at left-back.
Other players at risk of suspension
Jude Bellingham and Marc Guehi both picked up cautions during the first four games of the league phase. If either is booked against Croatia on Thursday, they will miss the match against Spain. England go into the final two games in second place in Group C, three points behind Spain, but with a better goal difference, making the match in Madrid potentially decisive for finishing top of the group.
England lost 3-2 to Spain in the first fixture at Wembley in September. Lamine Yamal gave Spain the lead after two minutes, before Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane scored to make it 2-1. Kane then missed a penalty that could have made it 3-1, and Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal turned the game around in the second half.
