England vs Russia team news: Roy Hodgson picks Raheem Sterling over Jamie Vardy, Wayne Rooney starts

Team new from Marseille as England prepare to kick off their Euro 2016 campaign

Raheem Sterling is to start England's Euro 2016 opener against Russia (Getty)

England manager Roy Hodgson has left out Jamie Vardy from his starting line-up to face Russia in their European Championship opener in Marseille.

Raheem Sterling, the Manchester City forward, starts in the 29-year-old’s place after impressing in training this week while Hodgson names an expected back four featuring Kyle Walker, Gary Cahill, Chris Smalling and Danny Rose.

Premier League top goal-scorer Harry Kane leads the attack for England while Wayne Rooney also starts alongside Adam Lallana in an adventurous starting line-up.

Deli Alli and Erik Dier complete a five-strong list of Tottenham Hotspur representatives to start the Group B opener while Joe Hart continues in goal for Hodgson’s men.

Vardy is likely to feel hard done by after scoring 24 goals for champions Leicester City but is likely to be utilised as a super sub by the England coaching team if required in the latter stages.

England were the only country to win all of their Euro 2016 qualifying matches and are considered among the outside bets to win the competition for the first time in France this summer.

Teams

England (4-1-4-1): Hart; Walker, Cahill, Smalling, Rose; Dier; Lallana, Alli, Rooney, Sterling; Kane.

Substitutes: Forster (g), Heaton (g), Milner, Vardy, Clyne, Henderson, Sturridge, Stones, Wilshere, Barkley, Bertrand, Rashford.

Russia (4-2-3-1): Akinfeev; Smolnikov, Ignashevich, V Berezutski, Schennikov; Neustader, Golovin; Smolov, Shatov, Kokorin; Dzyuba.

Substitutes: Lodygin (g), Guilherme (g), Shishkin, A Berezutski, Yusupov, Glushakov, Mamaev, Shirokov, Ivanov, Samedov, Torbinski, Kombarov.