England under pressure to make home advantage count at Euro 2022

A sell-out crowd of 71,000 will watch the hosts kick the tournament off at Old Trafford, breaking the attendance record for a match at a women's European Championship by over 30,000 in the process. That record will be short-lived with over 87,000 tickets sold for the final at Wembley on July 31. After three consecutive semi-final defeats in major tournaments, the pressure is on England to make home advantage count.

However, much has changed since losing in the last four to eventual winners the USA at the World Cup three years ago. The major difference is Wiegman, the meticulous Dutch coach who led her native country to Euro glory on home soil five years ago. A delay to the Tokyo Olympics, where Wiegman took the Netherlands to the quarter finals, meant England had to wait over a year for the 52-year-old to assume the role.

But she has proved more than worth the wait in a 14-game unbeaten run since taking charge. England have hit 84 goals and conceded just three in that time, including victory against Germany and a 5-1 thrashing of the Netherlands last month. "England will be favourites in the Euros," Netherlands boss Mark Parsons said after his side's humbling at Elland Road.

"The quality of players, the home crowd, the resources the Women's Super League has been putting in, the work the clubs have been doing -- it all comes together and it's very hard to see they're not favourites." Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright, Jill Scott and Ellen White form the old guard that have gone so close to major tournament success in the past. But the squad has also evolved significantly since the 2019 World Cup to blend youth and experience together. Leah Williamson played only six minutes in France three years ago but has succeeded Steph