Russia provide the opposition for a game which, despite a positive showing from England in this summer's European Championships, has been overshadowed by the ongoing fallout over allegations made against manager Mark Sampson.
He remains firmly in position but to have so much focus on one individual ahead of such an important fixture will not have been what the FA wanted as they consider whether to re-open their inquiry into Sampson's conduct.
The game is being televised live to a nationwide audience on BBC2 with kick-off at 7pm.