England women to face Germany on return from COVID-19 hiatus

LONDON (Reuters) - England's women will face twice world champions Germany in a friendly on Oct. 27 as they return to action for the first time in over seven months, the Football Association said on Monday.

The Lionesses last played at the SheBelieves Cup in March where defeats by hosts United States and Spain condemned them to a third-place finish in the four-team tournament.

England lost 2-1 to Germany in a friendly last year at Wembley Stadium in front of a record crowd of over 77,000. October's clash at the Brita-Arena in Wiesbaden will take place behind closed doors due to COVID-19 restrictions.

"Germany away is a tough challenge but we know what we're capable of," said England head coach Phil Neville, who will leave his role with the team at the end of his contract in July 2021.

"I'm sure the players are excited about testing themselves against one of the best teams in the world."

Netherlands women's team manager Sarina Wiegman will succeed Neville in September, 2021.

(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)