Preview:England vs Australia - Prediction, team news and lineups

England will be looking to keep the Ashes Series alive when they welcome Australia to Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium this Saturday.

Over 50,000 spectators are expected to be in attendance for the second test, as the hosts look to settle the score.

Match preview

England have left themselves with a lot of work to do following their 26-6 defeat at Wembley in the opening match of the long-awaited Ashes series.

Shaun Wane’s side competed well in the first 40 minutes of that first game before being torn apart by some world-class rugby league from the Kangaroos.

Despite the final result, there were some positives for England – particularly Herbie Farnworth, Tom Johnstone and Dom Young, who all surpassed 100 metres and made 17 tackle busts combined.

John Bateman and Morgan Knowles also showed their class after completing over 40 tackles, with Kai Pearce-Paul and Matty Lees making 35 tackles each.

The trouble is, for all those solid numbers, England still came woefully short on the scoreboard in front of their home fans. Wane and his men will certainly be looking to change that in Saturday’s second test.

When looking at the Australian team, you simply cannot ignore the sheer brilliance of Reece Walsh – especially after his outstanding contribution in the opening match of the series.

The 23-year-old just recently helped the Brisbane Broncos to NRL Grand Final glory, with his team getting the better of Melbourne Storm on the grandest stage in rugby league.

Walsh – who recently made headlines for a video showing him drinking water out of a toilet – is now stealing the show over in England, scoring two of Australia’s four tries in the Wembley Stadium opener.

Australia have not lost an Ashes series since 1970, with Kevin Walters and his men determined to seal another momentous victory and keep their impressive winning run going.

England form (all competitions):

W W W W W L

Australia form (all competitions):

W L W W W W

Team News

AJ Brimson is set to make his England debut this weekend after head coach Wane decided to drop Jack Welsby from his 19-man squad.

Halfback Harry Smith and forward Morgan Smithies have also been brought into action, with England looking to shake things up.

Illness appears to have got the better of John Bateman, who has been dropped from the squad. Ethan Havard has also missed out on selection, while Kallum Watkins is in contention to feature.

Australia, on the other hand, have not made many changes following their strong start to the series.

The only change from Walters was confirmed on Tuesday, with captain Isaah Yeo set to miss the trip to Merseyside due to a concussion, as Lindsay Collins comes in.

England predicted lineup:

Brimson, Young, Farnworth, Wardle, Johnstone, Williams, Smith, Lees, Litten, Trout, Pearce-Paul, Smithies, Knowles

Australia predicted lineup:

Walsh, Nawaqanitawase, Staggs, Shibasaki, Addo-Carr, Munster, Cleary, Carrigan, Grant, Fa'asuamaleaui, Crichton, Young, Collins

We say: England 6-24 Australia

The hosts are shaking things up in the hope of salvaging the series at Everton’s new stadium, though there is no doubt who the favourites are this weekend.

Australia underlined their dominance in the realm of international rugby league, and we expect their quality to shine again on Saturday.