UEFA Women's Nations League Portugal versus England kick off 19:45 Fri 21 Feb 2025

Lucy Bronze is British-Portuguese and can speak multiple languages

Lucy Bronze will come up against a team she "always roots" for when England take on Portugal in the Women's Nations League on Friday.

The 33-year-old defender was born to a Portuguese father and an English mother so she was eligible to represent both nations.

She was approached by the Portuguese Football Association as a 16-year-old, but having grown up in England, chose to represent the Lionesses.

Bronze says she hopes Portugal do well in the competition but not when her side face them at Estadio Municipal de Portimao on Friday (19:45 GMT kick-off).

"I have little Portugal flags on my boots actually. My parents met in the Algarve strip years and years ago" said Bronze, speaking at a media conference in Portugal.

"I have always been in good contact with the Portuguese federation. They are a team I always root for.

"I always hope for the best for them and I hope they do well in the Nations League - just not against us. My first ever kit was a Portugal kit.

"I spent all my holidays in this area and played most of my football here outside. It influenced me a lot. I'm just as proud to be Portuguese as I am to be English."

'We are never going to win 20-0 again'

England start their Nations League campaign hoping to produce a strong performance having received criticism for their displays last year.

Sarina Wiegman's side, who are preparing to defend their European title in Switzerland this summer, also face Spain and Belgium as part of their group.

Their finishing position will also determine where they start in the league system for the European qualifiers for the 2027 Women's World Cup.

Before the Nations League was introduced in 2023, the Lionesses faced more regular games against much lower-ranked opposition, resulting in some lop-sided scorelines, such as when they beat Latvia 20-0 in 2021.

But Wiegman says the competition now provides tougher tests.

"We can't just take it for granted that things have changed. We are never going to win 20-0 again. That is not competitive," said Wiegman.

"I'm excited to see the ones who come on the pitch and show who they are."

England will be without several key players including midfielder Georgia Stanway, forward Lauren Hemp and defender Alex Greenwood, who are all injured.

But they welcome back Chelsea forward Lauren James and defender Niamh Charles.

Full-back Charles said she could "see what the team was working on" from the outside despite a number of defensive errors in recent matches.

"Of course mistakes are going to happen. I think within the team it was about building that consistency and stability," she said.

"That's a real solid foundation when you go to win tournaments. The defence is so important. We will continue to focus on it."

Euro 2025 starts in July but England centre-back Millie Bright says focus is on the Nations League campaign and they are not looking too far ahead.

"Honestly, I've not actually thought about the Euros just yet. It's still a little bit too far away," said Bright.

"While, yes, everything that we're doing now is to prepare for the Euros, when we're on a camp with two competitive games for the Nations League, I think it's so important to stay present in the moment.

"Everything rides on the Nations League. It's very important. First and foremost, we want to be successful in that. We can take the momentum forward from there."