MADRID, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- England coach Gareth Southgate confirmed on Sunday that Liverpool defender Joe Gomez will replace the suspended John Stones when his side plays Spain in Seville on Monday night.
The England boss admitted that facing Spain in a packed Benito Villamarin stadium was "as difficult a test as you can have in European football at the moment, if not world football," but insisted his side was ready.
Spain defeated England 2-1 in London in September in their first meeting in the UEFA Nations League. A win for Spain on Monday will assure their place in the final four of the recently inaugurated tournament while a defeat for England would leave them in danger of dropping into the second tier of the competition.
Southgate is without injured players like Dele Alli, Danny Rose and Jesse Lingard, while Jordan Henderson and Stones are suspended for Monday's game. "It's probably pretty clear Joe Gomez will be coming in for John [Stones]," said Southgate in his pre-game press conference, adding that the Liverpool defender had been "in really good form for his club."
Although Gomez is only 21 years old, Southgate insisted he was "a very good defender with good athleticism who uses the ball well."
"It's another opportunity for us to look at younger players," Southgate said, pleased that following their successful World Cup campaign this summer, England were "slowly building a squad of players who are comfortable playing at the highest level."
