The England U17 squad continue their UEFA U17 EURO 2027 qualifying campaign this Saturday, 14 November, with their second group-stage fixture against Poland. Barry Lewtas’ Young Lions return to St. George’s Park for a 2pm GMT kick-off, having made an excellent start to their campaign with a comprehensive 6-1 victory over Montenegro. Another win would represent a major step towards reaching the second qualifying phase and strengthen England’s position in the top two of the group.
The Young Lions looking to build on their excellent start
England could hardly have asked for a better start to their first competitive fixture of the season. Facing Montenegro on Wednesday, Barry Lewtas’ side produced an impressive display to secure a 6-1 victory. Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli was the standout performer with a hat-trick, while Xavier Parker added a brace. Joshua Abe also found the net on his U17 debut.
The Young Lions quickly took control of the contest. Nicoll-Jazuli opened the scoring in the sixth minute after being picked out by Oscar Johnson, before Parker doubled England’s advantage in the 22nd minute following an excellent piece of control inside the box. Nicoll-Jazuli then grabbed his second goal shortly before the half-hour mark, sending England into the interval with a commanding lead.
Montenegro did pull a goal back just before half-time, but England refused to allow their opponents back into the contest. Nicoll-Jazuli completed his hat-trick five minutes after the restart with an excellent chipped finish. Introduced in the 62nd minute, Joshua Abe then marked his first U17 appearance with a goal shortly afterwards, before Parker rounded off the scoring with his second of the afternoon in the 70th minute.
The attacking display underlined the quality within Lewtas’ squad and saw the Young Lions move straight to the top of their group. Several players who had already impressed during October’s international window once again played key roles, including Parker, Nicoll-Jazuli, Darren Motsi, Josh Henry and Reggie Watson. The fixture also marked another important step in Joshua Abe’s development with the U17s, having previously represented England at U16 level last season.
This second fixture now takes on added importance in the race to progress. Following their emphatic victory over Montenegro, the Young Lions can take another significant step towards the second qualifying phase by overcoming Poland. England are in a group alongside Montenegro, Poland and Ukraine, with the top two sides qualifying for League A in the second round.
For this opening phase, the 54 nations involved have been divided into 14 groups of three or four teams. England’s objective is therefore to finish in the top two and continue their journey in spring 2027. A second consecutive victory would put Barry Lewtas’ side in a very strong position ahead of their final group fixture against Ukraine.
The England head coach can also call upon much of the squad that featured in four friendly fixtures during October. The Young Lions recorded three wins against the Republic of Ireland (5-1), Israel (2-1) and Venezuela (1-0), before suffering a 3-2 defeat to Germany.
Two new faces also joined the squad for this qualifying campaign: Joshua Abe and Noah Smith. While Abe has already made an immediate impact by scoring against Montenegro, Manchester City defender Smith is still waiting to make his England debut. After Saturday’s meeting with Poland, England will round off the first qualifying phase against Ukraine on Tuesday, 17 November, at 6.30pm GMT, once again at St. George’s Park.
The England U17 starting XI to face Poland:
- Mikel Jack (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Theo Carrington (Manchester City)
- Emmanuel Fejokwu (Club Brugge)
- Josh Henry (Chelsea)
- Samuel O’Brien (Manchester United)
- Xavier Parker (Manchester City)
- Reggie Watson (Chelsea)
- Oscar Johnson (Aston Villa)
- Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli (Chelsea)
- Josh Blake (Aston Villa)
- Vincent Joseph (Arsenal)
