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England without Lucy Bronze, Steph Houghton, Ellie Roebuck for World Cup qualifiers

England coach Sarina Wiegman will be without Steph Houghton, Lucy Bronze and Ellie Roebuck for the World Cup qualifying matches against Northern Ireland and Latvia.

Wiegman announced a 24-player squad on Tuesday for the matches which features a number of young players including Jess Carter, Niamh Charles, Lauren Hemp, Sandy McIver, Ella Toone and Lotte Wubben-Moy.

Aston Villa's Hannah Hampton and Manchester United's Alessia Russo also return to the squad with Manchester City's Keira Walsh fit again after an injury.

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"After a wonderful start to our World Cup qualifying campaign last month, we are incredibly excited to play our first competitive fixture at Wembley Stadium," Wiegman said in a statement.

"The incredible atmosphere our supporters generated at St. Mary's Stadium for our match against North Macedonia gave our players and staff a tremendous lift, so the prospect of playing in front of thousands of fans at our national stadium later this month will be a special moment.

"Northern Ireland have made strong progress in recent years, qualifying earlier this year for the 2022 home UEFA Women's Euros. On top of that, their recent 4-0 victory over Latvia shows the strength of their team and their determination to qualify for the World Cup.

"I can't wait to get back together with our squad this weekend. Every player showed great ability and the collective positivity and ambition within the group was fantastic to see. We do still have one or two injuries to key players to contend with, but the depth in our squad is very strong.

"We hope to give our supporters more reasons to celebrate this month as we continue our progress towards qualification."

England face Northern Ireland at their first ever competitive match at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 23 and will then travel to Riga to face Latvia on Oct. 26.

England Women's squad

Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa), Sandy MacIver (Everton)

Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Jessica Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Rachel Daly (Houston Dash), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Demi Stokes (Manchester City), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)

Midfielders: Jill Scott (Manchester City), Lucy Staniforth (Manchester United), Georgia Stanway (Manchester City), Keira Walsh (Manchester City), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Katie Zelem (Manchester United)

Forwards: Bethany England (Chelsea), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Nikita Parris (Arsenal), Alessia Russo (Manchester United), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Ellen White (Manchester City)