Facing Germany at a sold-out Wembley Stadium is the perfect way to end 2019, said England Women’s head coach Phil Neville.
The Lionesses will welcome the two-time world champions to the home of football on Saturday afternoon.
Over 86,000 tickets have been sold, meaning England are on the verge on setting a new attendance record for a women’s match in this country, which currently stands at 80,203.
Neville said: “This is a fitting end to what has been a fantastic year for women’s football. We’re going to be a part of something special, a part of history.
“Hopefully it’s going to be the biggest crowd we’ve ever had for a women’s match and that would cap the year off perfectly.”
Neville played at Wembley for England 15 times, including on the occasion of his last cap, against Estonia in 2007.
He has also appeared in FA Cup semi-finals and finals at the national stadium so he knows only too well the pressure that comes with it.
A number of his squad have also appeared at Wembley in the past, either for their club or country, but never in front of such a big expected crowd.
Neville added: “I want the players to go out there and enjoy the match because they deserve to be performing on this stage and they should be proud of their achievements over the last 12 months.
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“One thing they will have to do is handle the occasion, and I’m confident they will.
“We’ve got a lot of experience in this squad and a number of these players have played, and scored, at Wembley before.
“So now I want to see how they perform under a different type of pressure. There is added expectation on us. We’re playing against the second-best team in the world in front of a sell-out Wembley crowd, but this is where my players want to be.
“We’re going to face the same sort of pressure when UEFA Women’s EURO 2021 is staged on home soil so I want to see us to put in a good performance – and I want to win.”
