It also means Jack Grealish will be left sat on the bench waiting to be unleashed.
Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips will be the deep-lying midfielders.
Harry Maguire will again be partnered by John Stones at the heart of the defence, with Kyle Walker right-back and Luke Shaw on the left.
A rejuvenated Jordan Pickford is between the sticks - and looks to continue his run of clean sheets at the tournament.
⚽ ENGLAND vs DENMARK BETTING SPECIAL ⚽
Mason Mount and Declan Rice will play in England's midfieldCredit: Getty
Raheem Sterling will be looking to add some more goals to his tallyCredit: Rex
Gareth Southgate is yet to beat Denmark as England manager
Southgate believes the history of the England team is not as good as the nation likes to think but feels his team have broken down barriers on their run to the Euro 2020 semi-finals.
The Three Lions had not won a knockout game at a European Championship in 25 years before beating Germany in the last 16 a week ago.
Now they are preparing for their second major semi-final in just three years under Southgate - with the England boss happy that his players are writing their own story.
He said: "We don't have as a good as football history as we like to believe sometimes.
"These players are making massive strides and breaking barriers all the time, we have broken barriers in this tournament and we have another opportunity to do that tomorrow."
And captain Kane has urged the team to prove they can deliver in front of 60,000 inside Wembley.
He added: "It's a chance to go out there and prove it, we can talk as much as we want but the bottom line is we have to go out there and perform".
⚽ Read our Football live blogfor the very latest news from around the grounds
Will Gareth Southgate be celebrating tonight?Credit: Getty
England fans get on the beers as Three Lions face Denmark in Euro 2020 semi-final
Boris Johnson has repeatedly declined to say how many people are expected to have to self-isolate following the final relaxation of COVID restrictions in England on 19 July.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused the prime minister of putting the country on course for a "summer of chaos and confusion" as he noted Health Secretary Sajid Javid's admission that there could be 100,000 coronavirus cases a day within weeks.
Image:It is feared millions will have to self-isolate as COVID restrictions are eased
Sir Keir highlighted estimations that such an infection rate could see millions of Britons a week being forced to self-isolate this summer as COVID levels soar.
The prime minister is facing a backlash after he unveiled a plan to move to the fourth and final stage of his roadmap for lifting COVID restrictions on 19 July.
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However, an exemption from 10-day self-isolation for double-jabbed adults, or under-18s, who have been a contact of an infected person will not be introduced until 16 August.
Businesses have warned of the economic harm of large numbers of workers having to quarantine over the next few weeks.
More on Boris Johnson
Quizzing Mr Johnson during Wednesday's session of Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir said: "Let's be clear why infection rates are so high - because the prime minister let the Delta - or we can call it the 'Johnson variant' - into the country.
"Let's be clear why the number of cases will surge so quickly - because he is taking all protections off in one go. That is reckless."
The Labour leader added the "massive" number of people set to be self-isolating this summer would mean "huge disruption to families and businesses just as the summer holidays begin".
"It won't feel like 'freedom day' to those who have to isolate, when they're having to cancel their holidays, when they can't go to the pub or even to their kid's sports day," he said.
"And it won't feel like freedom day to the businesses who are already warning of carnage because of the loss of staff and customers."
Image:The PM was accused of allowing the 'Johnson variant' to cause a surge in cases
It was "entirely predictable" that people had begun deleting the NHS contact-tracing app - in order to avoid being "pinged" and having to self-isolate - Sir Keir told the prime minister.
"They're doing it because they can see what's coming down the track," he said. "Now of course we don't support that, but under his plan it's entirely predictable."
Mr Johnson said the government was taking a "prudent approach" by "moving away from self-isolation towards testing over the course of the next few weeks".
But he repeatedly refused to say how many people he expects to be self-isolating this summer, or how many deaths, hospitalisations and cases of long COVID he thought might occur after the relaxation of restriction on 19 July.
He said: "There are a number of projections and they're available from the Spi-M graphs, but what's certainly true is that we're seeing a wave of cases because of the Delta variant.
"But scientists are also absolutely clear that we have severed the link between infection and serious disease and death.
"Currently there are only a 30th of the deaths that we were seeing at an equivalent position in previous waves of this pandemic."
On more than one occasion, the prime minister challenged Sir Keir to set out whether or not he supported the lifting of almost all remaining COVID restrictions on 19 July.
The Labour leader said: "We should open up in a controlled way, keeping baseline protections such as masks on public transport, improving ventilation, making sure the Track and Trace system remains effective, and ensuring proper payments for self-isolation."
On Monday, the government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said that COVID vaccines had "weakened the link between cases and hospitalisations", but warned it was "a weakened link, not a completely broken link".
Summer holidays are set for July 19 take-off! Fully-vaccinated travellers could avoid quarantine after Freedom Day as Boris Johnson prepares to tear up self-isolation rules
Boris Johnson is set to tear up travel quarantine rules from as early as July 19, allowing summer holidays
Ministers are expected to make a final decision on exactly when to drop the requirement for quarantine
But multiple sources told the Mail that the Prime Minister is determined to implement the move on so-called 'Freedom Day' on July 19, when most remaining domestic restrictions will be scrapped
Boris Johnson is set to tear up travel quarantine rules from as early as July 19, allowing millions of fully-vaccinated Britons to take summer holidays abroad without having to self-isolate.
Ministers are expected to make a final decision tomorrow on exactly when to drop the requirement for double-jabbed travellers to quarantine after returning from amber list destinations such as France, Spain and Greece.
But multiple sources told the Mail that the Prime Minister is determined to implement the move on so-called 'Freedom Day' on July 19, when most remaining domestic restrictions will be scrapped.
It follows the departure of former health secretary Matt Hancock, who had pushed for the change to be delayed until as late as mid-August.
Whitehall sources said Border Force – which had asked for more time to prepare for introducing the change at ports and airports – has now dropped its objections, removing the last major hurdle to early implementation.
One source said: 'Border Force do have to make some technical changes and they had asked for a bit longer to get the new systems in place. But they can see the writing on the wall on this and they have accepted it will be the 19th.'
Another source said: 'It is not just that people can see the writing on the wall – they can see it is the Prime Minister who is writing it and the objections to the 19th are falling away.'
But significant concerns remain over the logistics of the decision, including the possibility of long queues at the border due to a surge in passenger numbers and checks. A Whitehall source told The Times the policy 'will happen before August'.
And airlines are now set to reveal a trial system to be introduced this week for passengers to provide proof of vaccination at check-in and upon arriving in Britain, using dedicated arrivals lanes to let credentials be verified.
Heathrow is to provide fast-track lanes for fully-vaccinated arrivals as the airline industry steps up pressure on ministers to open up quarantine-free travel to amber destinations.
Boris Johnson is set to tear up travel quarantine rules from as early as July 19, allowing millions of fully-vaccinated Britons to take summer holidays abroad without having to self-isolate (stock image, Athens, Greece)
Arriving passengers queue at UK Border Control at the Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport in London, Britain, June 29
HEATHROW FAST TRACK ARRIVALS FOR DOUBLE-JABBED PASSENGERS
Heathrow is to provide fast-track lanes for fully-vaccinated arrivals as the airline industry steps up pressure on ministers to open up quarantine-free travel to amber destinations.
Under a pilot programme to be launched this week, passengers from selected destinations will be able to upload their coronavirus vaccination certificate before boarding.
On arrival at the airport, they will then be directed to dedicated lanes at the border to speed their passage through immigration.
The move comes ahead of an expected announcement on Thursday when Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will set out details of the Government's plans to end the requirement for travellers from amber list countries to self-isolate on arrival.
Boris Johnson is said to favour easing the controls from July 19 - when other Covid lockdown restrictions in England are due to be lifted - according to The Times.
Heathrow together with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic - the two airlines involved in the trial programme - said it was essential that there was no delay in implementing the changes.
The scheme will initially involve fully vaccinated volunteers travelling on selected flights from Athens, Los Angeles, Montego Bay and New York.
Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: 'This pilot will allow us to show that pre-departure and arrival checks of vaccination status can be carried out safely at check in, so that fully vaccinated passengers can avoid quarantine from July 19.'
His comments were echoed by Virgin Atlantic chief executive Shai Weiss who said: 'To reap the benefits of the UK's world-leading vaccine roll out, the UK Government must act now to remove self-isolation for fully vaccinated passengers arriving from 'amber' countries, and no later than the domestic reopening on July 19.
'The UK is already falling behind US and EU and a continued overly cautious approach towards international travel will further impact economic recovery and the 500,000 UK jobs that are at stake.'
The call came after Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced that people in England who have been double jabbed - as well as the under 18s - will no longer have to self-isolate if they have been in contact with someone who tests positive for Covid-19.
However, there was consternation among some Tory MPs that the change will not come into force until August 16, almost a month after other controls are due to have ended.
With cases continuing to soar, there were fears that millions of people could be required to quarantine in the meantime, potentially damaging output just as the economy looks to pick up pace.
Mr Javid has acknowledged that the numbers of new infections could rise to 100,000-a-day as restrictions come to an end.
Ministers are relying on the vaccination programme to protect people from becoming seriously ill with the virus and prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed.
However former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith warned the hospitality sector - already ravaged by the economic fallout from the pandemic - could be particularly hard hit by the delay in easing the self-isolation rules.
'Why would you even go to a pub (after step four of the lifting of lockdown)? This makes it worse,' he told The Daily Telegraph.
'I wouldn't go to a pub that wasn't still having six around a table and social distancing, otherwise you run the risk of everyone in the pub being pinged and locked down.'
Mr Javid said the aim was to 'manage the virus in a way that is proportionate to the pandemic' while maintaining as much freedom as possible.
Under a pilot programme to be launched this week, passengers from selected destinations will be able to upload their coronavirus vaccination certificate before boarding.
On arrival at the airport, they will then be directed to dedicated lanes at the border to speed their passage through immigration.
The move comes ahead of an expected announcement on Thursday when Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will set out details of the Government's plans to end the requirement for travellers from amber list countries to self-isolate on arrival.
The system, running on British Airways and Virgin Atlantic flights into Heathrow, is an attempt to prove the ease with which vaccine status could be checked without creating queuing havoc.
Chief executive of Virgin Atlantic Shai Weiss said: 'To reap the benefits of the UK's world-leading vaccine rollout the UK government must act now to remove self-isolation for fully vaccinated passengers arriving from amber countries and no later than the domestic reopening on July 19.'
Chief executive of Heathrow John Holland-Kaye said: 'This pilot will allow us to show that pre-departure and arrival checks of vaccination status can be carried out safely at check-in, so that fully vaccinated passengers can avoid quarantine from July 19.'
Downing Street said a final decision had not been made on the timing of the change to current travel quarantine rules but acknowledged it was now likely to be this month rather than August.
The move could open up dozens of popular holiday destinations for fully-vaccinated travellers. Most European countries are currently on the amber list, as are the United States, Mexico, Thailand and many Caribbean destinations.
At present, only travellers returning from a small green list of countries can avoid quarantine when they return to the UK. Government advice remains not to holiday in amber list countries. And if they do, travellers have to quarantine at home for ten days but they can be released after five days if they pay for a PCR test.
Under the proposal, the government advice will be dropped and fully-vaccinated UK residents will be allowed to travel home from amber countries without the need to quarantine. Children, who are not eligible for vaccination, will be exempted from self-isolation if they are travelling with family. But they will have to take additional tests. Ministers will finalise the plan for children tomorrow.
Those who have not received both vaccines will still have to quarantine when they arrive in the UK or face a £10,000 fine.
The change will make no difference to red list countries such as India, Turkey and Brazil.
Anyone returning from a red list country must quarantine in an approved hotel at a cost of £1,750 each. People returning from amber list countries will also continue to have to pay for a pre-flight test, followed by a second test two days after their arrival home. But they will not have to pay for a further test eight days after they land as they do at present.
The change to quarantine rules has been a key demand of the beleaguered travel sector.
But the timing of the move split the Cabinet. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Chancellor Rishi Sunak both pushed for July 19 to allow the industry to maximise the school summer holidays. But Mr Hancock and Michael Gove wanted to delay until August.
Mr Hancock's replacement by the more business-friendly Sajid Javid helped tip the balance in favour of opening up early.
Former cabinet minister Liam Fox last night called on ministers to act after they agreed to curb self-isolation rules for the double-jabbed. Dr Fox said it was time for 'the same common sense to apply to international travel'.
British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Heathrow Airport yesterday launched a trial in which fully-vaccinated passengers will be asked to submit proof of their inoculation status before flying.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (pictured) and Chancellor Rishi Sunak both pushed for July 19 to allow the industry to maximise the school summer holidays. But Mr Hancock and Michael Gove wanted to delay until August
Former cabinet minister Liam Fox last night called on ministers to act after they agreed to curb self-isolation rules for the double-jabbed. Dr Fox said it was time for 'the same common sense to apply to international travel' (pictured: Italy)
Travellers of all nationalities on flights into the UK from the US, Europe and the Caribbean will present their vaccination credentials in paper and digital format.
Data from the trial, designed to show vaccination status can be checked quickly at airports, will be shared with ministers. It will put pressure on the Government to introduce plans for quarantine-free travel for double-jabbed people by July 19.
Earlier this year queues of up to seven hours were seen at Heathrow as a result of the Covid paperwork border guards had to check.
BA chief Sean Doyle said: 'We need to act quickly to protect jobs, re-build the UK economy and reunite loved ones. We look forward to providing the data that proves it's simple for fully-vaccinated status to be verified.' Shai Weiss, head of Virgin Atlantic, said the UK's cautious approach will 'further impact economic recovery and the 500,000 UK jobs that are at stake'.
And Heathrow's boss John Holland-Kaye said: 'This pilot will allow us to show that pre-departure and arrival checks of vaccination status can be carried out safely at check-in, so that fully-vaccinated passengers can avoid quarantine from July 19.'
Wearing face masks will become a matter of "personal choice" with the end of restrictions in England on 19 July, Prime Minister Boris Johnson says. But it seems that companies and individuals intend to interpret the change differently.
While, for example, some airlines have confirmed face masks will still be compulsory after 19 July, shops, pubs and hairdressers are altering policies.
The World Health Organization still advises masks continuing to be mandatory on public transport, in shops and in crowded places. So, a day after the government's announcement, what are the intentions?
Airlines: Little reason to change policy
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Ryanair says masks will be mandatory, regardless of the departing destination. A spokesperson adds that this is in keeping with current guidance from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
British Airways says it sees no reason yet to change its existing rules, requiring staff and customers to wear masks, but says that it keeps its policies under constant review.
EasyJet and Virgin have also told customers that, for the time being at least, passengers should continue to wear them.
Passengers flying with Jet2 will not be allowed to board their flight without a face mask, unless they have previously given a reason for not wearing one.
What about public transport?
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Industry body the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies, says that travelling by train is "low risk" and "any decision to leave public transport behind other parts of the economy would need to be based on the science".
It says trains are "well ventilated with air regularly refreshed either by air conditioning systems, or by doors and windows being opened".
The group adds, though, that wearing a mask can help protect other rail users.
However, the Unite union has said that dropping mask-wearing on public transport would be "gross negligence".
Unite's national officer for passenger transport, Bobby Morton, pointed to the number of deaths from Covid among bus drivers.
"Rates of infection are continuing to increase and not only does mask wearing reduce transmissions, it helps provide reassurance to drivers and to passengers who are nervous about using public transport."
Pubs welcome the chance to get back to normal, but...
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Clive Watson, chief executive of the City Pub Group, which has 45 pubs across the south of England and Wales, says masks will be encouraged after 19 July and as much table service as possible will continue.
"We don't want a free-for-all scrum at the bar, loads of people queuing up," he says.
Staff will also be encouraged to continue to wear masks and Mr Watson says he wants to maintain half of all orders coming through their app.
However, Chris Jowsey, chief executive of Admiral Taverns, which has 1,000 pubs, says the lifting of all restrictions is "long overdue". He adds that 19 July will "be critical for the future of our industry, supporting community hubs across the UK and allowing businesses to operate as normal once again".
Andrew Barker, a pub landlord in north Lancashire, says he expects hospitality businesses to remain cautious once restrictions are eased.
Mr Barker - who runs several pubs in Lancaster - is appealing to customers to be sensible, telling the BBC: "It will be customer choice, but I don't see how anyone could enforce it if they want to stay in business without masks being mandatory."
Shops and services remain cautious
PA Media
Shop workers union Usdaw has urged the government not to lift Covid safety measures in shops.
"Retail staff are working with the public every day and are deeply worried about catching Covid-19,"saysPaddy Lillis, Usdaw general secretary.
"This is not the right time to water down safety in stores and the government should not be removing the requirements for face coverings and distancing in busy public areas like shops."
But Sainsbury's boss Simon Roberts says mask wearing in stores would be a matter of "personal choice" after 19 July. And the Westfield shopping centre group said it would "encourage" customers to wear masks.
Restaurant chain Nando's says it is to early to announce what its position would be, adding it was waiting for "full guidance next week before we can finalise our position".
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Lesley Blair, chair of the British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology (BABTAC), a membership organisation and insurance provider for professionals working in the industry, agrees that mask wearing should continue after 19 July in England. Ms Blair says that the organisation will encourage members to consider the the evidence as part of their risk assessments and continue to wear them "especially when working in the breathing zone".
Among smaller businesses, Joe Hemmings, who owns two hairdressers in Bristol, says he'll be taking a staged approach to mask wearing: "To go from all of the PPE to nothing overnight is too radical for the sheer fact of peoples' anxiety and the need for precaution."
Eight of his 17 staff are aged about 30 and won't have had their second jab by 19 July. "We need to make sure we can do everything we can to protect the team," he says.
If customers refuse to wear a mask, Mr Hemmings says "it's a tricky one" but he'll "have to honour" their decision. "We'd like to think it is everyone's best interest for us all to wear them inside," he adds.
The cost of shutting down the salons for one day due to a case would be at least £3,000 so he plans to phase out masks over a three-month period depending on local case numbers in Bristol.
Sarah Laker, who owns Stationery Supplies in Cheshire, says she won't ask customers to wear masks because she feels it has "really affected" her trade and having to ask customers to wear them has resulted in some incidents where they have become abusive.
"Customers aren't comfortable in them so they either visit the shop and don't browse, or shop online instead," she told the BBC.
Wearing face masks will become a matter of "personal choice" with the end of restrictions in England on 19 July, Prime Minister Boris Johnson says. But it seems that companies and individuals intend to interpret the change differently.
While, for example, some airlines have confirmed face masks will still be compulsory after 19 July, shops, pubs and hairdressers are altering policies.
The World Health Organization still advises masks continuing to be mandatory on public transport, in shops and in crowded places. So, a day after the government's announcement, what are the intentions?
Airlines: Little reason to change policy
Getty Images
Ryanair says masks will be mandatory, regardless of the departing destination. A spokesperson added that this was in keeping with current guidance from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
British Airways says it intends to continue asking customers and staff to continue to wear masks on board. "We keep our policies under constant review," said a spokesperson, adding that the airline sees no reason yet to change its existing rules.
EasyJet and Virgin have also told customers that, for the time being at least, passengers should continue to wear masks.
Passengers flying with Jet2 will not be allowed to board their flight without a face mask, unless they have previously given a reason for not wearing one.
What about public transport?
Getty Images
Industry body the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies, says that travelling by train is "low risk" and "any decision to leave public transport behind other parts of the economy would need to be based on the science".
It says trains are "well ventilated with air regularly refreshed either by air conditioning systems, or by doors and windows being opened".
The group adds, though, that wearing a mask can help protect other rail users.
However, the Unite union has said that dropping mask-wearing on public transport would be "gross negligence".
Unite's national officer for passenger transport, Bobby Morton, pointed to the number of deaths from Covid among bus drivers.
"Rates of infection are continuing to increase and not only does mask wearing reduce transmissions, it helps provide reassurance to drivers and to passengers who are nervous about using public transport."
Pubs welcome the chance to get back to normal, but...
Getty Images
Clive Watson, chief executive of the City Pub Group, which has 45 pubs across the south England and Wales, says masks will be encouraged after 19 July and as much table service as possible will continue.
"We don't want a free-for-all scrum at the bar, loads of people queuing up," he says.
Staff will also be encouraged to continue to wear masks and Mr Watson says he wants to maintain half of all orders coming through their app.
However, Chris Jowsey, chief executive of Admiral Taverns, which has 1,000 pubs, says the lifting of all restrictions is "long overdue". He adds that 19 July will "be critical for the future of our industry, supporting community hubs across the UK and allowing businesses to operate as normal once again".
The Mitchells and Butlers pub group, whose chains include All Bar One, Harvester and O'Neill's, said it would confirm what its policies would be from 19 July "in due course".
Andrew Barker, a pub landlord in north Lancashire, says he expects hospitality businesses to remain cautious once restrictions are eased.
Mr Barker - who runs several pubs in Lancaster - is appealing to customers to be sensible, and told the BBC: "It will be customer choice, but I don't see how anyone could enforce it if they want to stay in business without masks being mandatory."
Shops and services remain cautious
PA Media
Shop workers union Usdaw has urged the government not to lift Covid safety measures in shops.
"Retail staff are working with the public every day and are deeply worried about catching Covid-19," said Paddy Lillis, Usdaw general secretary.
"This is not the right time to water down safety in stores and the government should not be removing the requirements of face coverings and distancing in busy public areas like shops."
But Sainsbury's boss Simon Roberts said mask wearing in stores would be a matter of "personal choice" after 19 July. And the Westfield shopping centre group said it would "encourage" customers to wear masks.
Restaurant chain Nando's said it was to early to announce what its position would be, adding it was waiting for "full guidance next week before we can finalise our position".
Bloggs Salons
Among smaller businesses, Joe Hemmings, who owns two hairdressers in Bristol, says he'll be taking a staged approach to mask wearing: "To go from all of the PPE to nothing overnight is too radical for the sheer fact of peoples' anxiety and the need for precaution."
Eight of his 17 staff are aged about 30 and won't have had their second jab by 19 July. "We need to make sure we can do everything we can to protect the team," he says.
If customers refuse to wear a mask, Mr Hemmings says "it's a tricky one" but he'll "have to honour" their decision. "We'd like to think it is everyone's best interest for us all to wear them inside," he adds.
The cost of shutting down the salons for one day due to a case would be at least £3,000 so he plans to phase out masks over a three-month period depending on local case numbers in Bristol.
Sarah Laker, who owns Stationary Supplies in Cheshire, says she won't ask customers to wear masks because she feels it has "really affected" her trade and having to ask customers to wear them has resulted in some incidents where they have become abusive.
"Customers aren't comfortable in them so they either visit the shop and don't browse, or shop online instead," she told the BBC.
A teenager has been found guilty of murdering two sisters in a park last year.
Bibaa Henry and her sister Nicole Smallman had been celebrating Bibaa's 46th birthday last June when they were attacked and stabbed to death by Danyal Hussein in Wembley, northwest London.
A murder trial at the Old Bailey heard how Danyal Hussein, 19, had made a bizarre pact with Satan to kill women in return for winning the lottery.
Image:Danyal Hussein in police custody - and the agreement signed in blood. Pic: Met Police
Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding, the senior officer in charge of the investigation, said Hussein had promised to "sacrifice" at least six women every six months in a handwritten agreement with the devil.
Detectives found the letter, which was signed in the teenager's own blood, when they searched his bedroom at his mother's home in south London in the weeks after the murders.
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The letter read: "For the Mighty King Lucifuge Rofocale," a reference to the treasurer of hell.
It went on: "Perform a minimum of six sacrifices every six months for as long as I am free and physically capable."
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It added: "Sacrifice only women, build a temple for you, do everything that I have promised."
Underlined underneath were the words: "For me" and then: "Win the Mega Millions super jackpot."
It continued: "To receive fruitful rewards for the future sacrifices I make to you, the rewards could consist of wealth and power, to never be suspected of any crimes by the police and also that the police will never know of any crimes that I have done and I will do."
Image:Danyal Hussein, 19, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of murdering the two sisters
A second letter to the devil was also found in the teenager's bedroom, promising similar "sacrifices" in return for better luck with the opposite sex.
Police believe that the sisters were not specifically targeted by Hussein, but were just very unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The pair had been with a group of friends in Fryent Country Park on the evening of 5 June last year.
As well as marking Ms Henry's birthday, the group was also celebrating the partial lifting of the first COVID lockdown.
As the friends drifted off home, Ms Henry and Ms Smallman stayed in the park into the early hours, taking selfies of themselves dancing in the dark with fairy lights.
In one of the selfies, the sisters could be seen looking off to the side, as if distracted by something.
Police believe this may have been the moment they spotted their killer.
After stabbing them dozens of times, Hussein dragged their bodies into a nearby wooded area.
Days later, as family and friends scoured the park in a frantic search for the sisters, Ms Smallman's boyfriend made the horrific discovery and called the police.
It was DNA evidence, significant quantities of Hussein's own blood, that helped police identify their killer.
Image:A cushion used by the sisters on the night they were killed. Pic: Met Police
The teenager had cut his own hand in the violent and sustained attack and police were eventually able to find a match to a relative of Hussein on the DNA database.
That enabled them to narrow the search to the teenager after they discovered he had been staying with his father near the park on the night of the murders.
CCTV showed him leaving his father's house on the evening of 5 June and returning home after 4am the following morning, minus his trousers, which police believe he discarded because they were covered in blood.
Other CCTV showed him in an Asda supermarket in the days before the murders, buying the block of knives he used in the attack.
Throughout the investigation, Hussein refused to cooperate with police, eventually claiming through his defence team that he had not killed the sisters.
He claimed his blood was found at the murder scene because he had himself been attacked in the park that evening by an unknown assailant.
But DCI Harding said his claims were ridiculous and blown apart by the discovery of the letters to the devil, penned in his own handwriting and signed in his own blood.
The chief inspector said he believes Hussein would have gone on to kill other women, had he not hurt himself and been stopped by police.
"I truly believe that if he hadn't cut himself so badly on his hand when he attacked Nicole and Bibaa, he would have carried on his contract," DCI Harding said.
"His contract was to kill six women every six months and then out of those sacrifices, as he calls them, he's then going to be rewarded by a demon with the Mega Millions jackpot."
The senior investigator said Hussein's motive was so bizarre, it felt like the plot to a movie.
"It's ridiculous in its concept to us, we don't understand things like that. How he's developed that mindset is incredibly strange and deeply worrying as a person.
"Straight away after he's killed the sisters, he goes and buys his lottery tickets. He's carrying on his contract, which is disturbing because then he hasn't completed the first part of it.
Image:Police searched through items for clues. Pic: Met Police
"He's got to kill another four in those six months. But fortunately, because he'd hurt his hand so much and wasn't able to use it properly, we got to him and stopped him before he could harm anyone else."
As horrific as the murder of Ms Henry and Ms Smallman undoubtedly was, their family and friends had to endure the added trauma of learning that two police officers sent to guard the murder scene had been investigated for misconduct.
The officers were subsequently charged with taking unauthorised pictures of the victims.
They are due to appear at the Old Bailey later this month.
Danyal Hussein has been remanded back into custody and will be sentenced at a later date.
