91Èȱ¬

England are set to face Australia in one of three warm-up matches before this summer's European Championship.

Two of the three matches are expected to be played in the north of England, with the final one at Wembley.

The opponents have been identified by manager Roy Hodgson, with Portugal likely to be another.

England last played Australia when they were beaten 3-1 at West Ham's Upton Park.

Warm-up games will be staged in the north east and north west at the request of Hodgson, who wishes to recreate a tournament feel before Euro 2016, which begins on 10 June and is being hosted by France.

The Football Association, which hopes the fixtures will reward England's fans around the country for their support, is expected to confirm all three opponents and venues later this month.

Officials are in talks with European football's governing body Uefa over the opposition for England's third fixture.

Previously under Uefa rules, teams could only play one other Euro 2016 side in the month before the tournament and none from the same group.

However, two friendly matches can take place against other participating teams, provided that they are not in the same tournament group.