This is an opportunity for the Aston Villa players on the England squad to make an impression for German manager Thomas Tuchel in a familiar environment. As the Three Lions, however, are set to face Andorra at Villa Park, the England manager has elected to go with options that see the Villa options initially on the bench.
Ollie Watkins is making way for skipper Harry Kane. This may have been predictable, as it would likely take a 4-4-2 formation for Watkins to be in the starting XI with Kane in full health for the England fixture. One has to imagine, though, that Watkins will see a fair run of play at VP, a place he has proven himself to be a goal scorer at the highest levels.
Morgan Rogers was not able to crack the midfield roles. While many Villa supporters would like to see him in a central role, even for England he will often find himself lined up in a wide position. With Marcus Rashford in the starting lineup, it would have been a familiar sight to see Rashford and Rogers on the pitch at the same time at Villa Park. Instead, it will most likely be Noni Madueke who takes up where Rogers would most likely be under Tuchel.
Marc Guéhi and Dan Burn will form the central pairing on the backline, leaving Ezri Konsa as an option for Thomas to turn to later on to play in front of Jordan Pickford.
Surprising exclusion of Aston Villa players from starting XI
In some ways, this is a missed opportunity to exclude a Villa player from the starting XI. It would have been something that could have added to the atmosphere. Regardless, the Villa crowd will be at full voice in their support for England. In the event of Tuchel looking to either finish off a win or provide a critical difference against Andorra with Konsa, Rogers, or Watkins, Villa Park will undoubtedly be able to find another level of loud support for when either or all Villa players approach the touchline to enter the matchup.