England to face Australia in Wembley friendly after the Lionesses take on the Matildas at Brentford

England have booked in an Australian double header for later this year.

Gareth Southgate’s side will face Australia in a friendly at Wembley on October 13, while Sarina Wiegman’s European champions will play the Matildas in Brentford on April 11.

The England men’s team were due to face Australia in November 2020, but the game was called off due to Covid-19.

Southgate said: ‘This will be a good challenge for us as Australia performed well at the World Cup despite having four difficult opponents. I imagine there will be a strong Australian contingent in London for both games.

“We all know the sporting rivalry between our two countries and that will only add an extra edge.”

Gareth Southgate’s England will face Australia in a friendly at Wembley on October 13

England will face Australia in a friendly in their last game before the World Cup this summer

Australia have several Women’s Super League players in their ranks, including Sam Kerr (left)

Wiegman added: ‘We are always looking for different challenges and we are very happy to play against two stronger non-European teams in Brazil and Australia in April.

‘Both will be competitive at the World Cup, and Australia will give their all to impress because they go into a home tournament with high expectations.

‘They will want to show that they are in good shape for the final.

“We know that Australia have players of the highest level, so for us it is another opportunity to see where we are in our preparation for the World Cup.”

‘It will also be very special to play against them in Brentford, as it was a great stadium for the Euros.

“We want to create more excitement for our fans as we prepare for what we hope will be another memorable summer.”