Post by Taxigirl on Jan 30, 2004 18:36:36 GMT
England will play in a mini-tournament in Manchester in early June as part of their build-up to Euro 2004.
England will face Japan and Iceland at the new City of Manchester Stadium, which will be staging its first international matches.
The event will feature the 23 players chosen by coach Sven-Goran Eriksson for England's Euro 2004 campaign.
"These are our last warm-up games before Euro 2004, so this tournament is crucial preparation," said Eriksson.
"Both of our opponents have very good individual players - household names like (Eidur) Gudjohnsen and (Hidetoshi) Nakata - and are playing good football at the moment.
"I'm looking forward to the games.
"We had an amazing welcome from the Japanese fans during the World Cup and I'm sure the people of Manchester will return the compliment."
Japan, who made such an impact at the 2002 World Cup, could also feature players with Premiership experience such as Kazuyuki Toda and Junichi Inamoto.
Iceland, meanwhile, may not only boast Chelsea's Gudjohnsen, but also Watford's Heidar Helguson and Charlton's Hermann Hreidarsson.
They finished just a point behind second-placed Scotland in their Euro 2004 qualifying group.
The tournament will start with Iceland facing Japan on 30 May.
England will take on Japan on 1 June, followed by Iceland on 5 June.
Manchester City chairman John Wardle added: "This is terrific news for the City of Manchester Stadium and a great privilege to be hosting these three international games.
"We are looking forward to it immensely."