It has been mentioned before
but now we need a separate thread for this
as it's (almost) arranged & official

England line up Scotland friendly

England have lined up a friendly against Scotland at Wembley as part of their build-up to the 2007 Women's World Cup finals in China.

The fixture has been pencilled in for 11 March but that could change as there is still no confirmed date for the re-opening of the national stadium.

Coach Hope Powell said: "It would be fantastic for players and supporters.

"If it comes off it will be a great occasion and will help in preparing for big games at the World Cup."

Powell, who herself played twice for England at Wembley, added: "Playing on the hallowed turf was a tremendous experience for me and I'd love the current team to get the chance to play there."

Preparations for the tournament will include taking part in January's China Cup, giving England vital experience of the environment in which they will play in September.

In the four-team friendly competition, to be played during the last week of the month, Powell's team will face Germany, America and China.

Powell said: "It's important that the girls experience the travel, the climate, the conditions and atmosphere at stadiums, even the food we're likely to eat when we get to China for the finals.

"We've done really well to qualify for the finals, but I don't want us to settle for just going to China. "
Hope Powell

"Playing in the China Cup will help us achieve that and these games, plus a number of others that will put us up against some top quality opponents, should really benefit the players."

Other highlights of the build-up schedule include meetings on home soil with Russia and Holland in March and a 2009 European Championships qualifier against Northern Ireland on 13 May.

More games are yet to be confirmed, while the pre-China programme will also include training camps in April, July and August.

Powell is not too happy about having the first of her team's Euro qualifiers planted in the middle of her carefully worked out schedule.

But she will only have the Northern Irish to deal with as the rest of the qualifiers - against the Czech Republic, Spain and Belarus - will be delayed until after the World Cup.

She said: "I don't think it's sensible to play Euro qualifiers in the build-up to a World Cup, but we just have to get on with it and we'll obviously be aiming to follow our qualification for China by reaching the Euro finals.

"Our focus right now is on the World Cup, though. We've done really well, against the expectations of most pundits, to qualify for the finals, but I don't want us to settle for just going to China.

"I want us to make a real impression, and hopefully with all these games behind us when we get there that's exactly what we'll do."

Source: BBC.

Come on Scotland, will definitely try to get a ticket.

??

England should win easy I say 3-0 to England, what a venue though won't be packed out, still I suppose they have to test if it still stands with a few people in there

I'd love to be there too, I might have to choose though
between this game and UEFA Cup Final 2nd leg at the Emirates.

I think it's a great idea for the women to play the first game there.
I think they should play their every international game at Wembley

Kelly Smith vs Julie Fleeting - I definitelly want to see how it will work

If I were you, I'd say the Emirates will be a better game and you get to see Kelly as well as Marta Even though Wembley is the bigger venue, I'm sure you'll go there again

Kelly Smith vs Julie Fleeting - Can't decide which one would win

In one-on-one?

It would of course be... or... I mean... I have no clue


And it only depends on how many free days I can have in a row
I am 100% going to Umea - might not be able to go to the Emirates as well
as it would be too many free days in a row.
Then I'd go to Wembley in March instead
Or maybe I'll go here and here, we'll see.

Come on England!

Julie's quicker but I'd say Kelly is stronger and it would even it out!
Kelly might pull her hair and then win

Well, have fun sorting that out!

Hahaha she wouldn't!
Kelly's stronger and quicker on the ball
and Fleets' movements as she is a tall girl,
are not so quick
She's very versatile though,
well they both are...
Really it's hard to say

Be dead funny if she did though
No I think Fleets can move quicker than Kelly, Kelly's um...wider? Not as agile.
Fleets would give Kelly a run for her money though, will be interesting to see
They'll both be looking like this >>

i think it will be
6-3 to england
COME ON ENGLAND

Justme are you saying Kelly is fat?
She has a weird body structure but she's not fat!
Look at her arms - scary skinny.
And for her it's enough that her feet are quick

if they had a race it would be extremly close

I never said the word 'fat'! I said she was 'wide' which means, she has a "wide" structure to her eg broad shoulders
She does have quick feet but Julie is more slender, which I think makes her quicker without the ball than Kelly, I don't think Kelly is quick with the ball she just thinks quickly, which seperates her form the rest and her feet move quickly which is also another benefit Julie is a quicker sprinter with the ball, I think the skill between the two players is quite the same and that's why it makes it so hard

LOL broadshouldered then?
The way I see it, Kelly is quicker in making her decisions when on the ball,
whilst Julie might be quicker running without it,
but when she's trying to run with the ball,
she might be quicker than Kelly indeed but loses it more often than her English team mate
You can trust Kelly when she's on the ball, that she will make the right pass
at the right time, when with Julie you can trust she will fire it in the net
It's hard to compare two players who are SO different
I was just wondering what their battle would look like
since they are club team mates and friends, and so great in what they're doing on the pitch

Justme I am French ! we fought side to side with the scots angainst the english a few centuries ago

Actually It will be very interesting to the Arsenal defence + Unitt against Julie, it depens obviously on the service she will get but it shoud be good to watch.

You read to many history books
This is happening now and it's sport, not war

As for the service Fleets gets in Scotland *sigh*
I've only been to one game Scotland v Finland friendly
but there was no service mate
She had to provide the service
- and she played on every position that exist on a football pitch.
She was incredible - I have never seen Julie Fleeting playing so brilliant.
She doesn't have to in Arsenal - she can only do her job at the front
But you'll see - for Scotland she's a totally different player
Scores, steals, defends, fights, passes - that's why I wanna see her v England badly!

I foresee an england victory then. There are a few scottish players in the Premier league
Just checked the date 11th of March ? Wembley won't be ready..

Haha we'll see
The date has been pencilled in, it says in the article
which means they reserve the right to change it
And I think we all foresee England win
but you never know - there might be a draw
And Julie knows England's players very well from Arsenal
so she'll know all their weaknesses don't forget

And there is a former Arsenal Player as well for Scotland used to be number 15 2 seasons ago.

But Arsenal are much stronger now than 2 seasons ago
and the team has changed a bit