Soccer
England will play against Tunisia, their first game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Monday, June 18. The national squad with manager Gareth Southgate flew to Volgograd from their base at Repino on the Gulf of Finland after their Sunday's training session to makeover for Monday's Group G game plan.
And Southgate believes his team will give their best shot on the filed and will play with all their heart, in a way celebrating Russia's 'Festival of Football.'
"If we played today, they'd be ready." #ThreeLions boss Gareth Southgate will speak to the media in Volgograd this evening – but we snuck in a chat with him before we depart Repino. pic.twitter.com/Lf2w2mT8RF
— England (@England) June 17, 2018
Southgate hopes England will present a stunner at the tournament and will attempt to secure their first win in the opening game of a major tournament since they last defeated Paraguay at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
CAPTION: England starting 11-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Southgate said:
When I have been at World Cups before, whether working with the media or following the game's scouting, there is a kind of carnival of football out there that sometimes as a player you don't access and don't feel part of.
We have got to feel that it is a festival of football that you are fully involved in, and look to play as well as we can.
Southgate, 47, revealed that his players are so much excited after watching the 3-3 draw between Spain and Portugal that has been the most thrilling game so far in the tournament. He said,
I think having watched the Spain v Portugal game, these are the sort of games that announce the tournament is under way. The players enjoyed watching it and it brought energy to our hotel.
Southgate himself has been doing his best to boost up the squad's confidence. Southgate has been preparing his players for the requirement to deal with diversity before the England Vs Tunisia kick-off Monday in the scorching heat of Volgograd.
He said:
I hope my own experiences are providing them with some context. I hope the messages we are giving them are developing a style of play they believe in and that they are building the strength of character to withstand some of the difficult moments we will definitely have to go through in a tournament.
Our first objective is to qualify from the group and we have to be prepared for the fact that might happen smoothly or it might have to go into the 89th or 94th minute of the third game.
For the first five minutes of the opening game anything can happen but it is not going to decide whether we go through in the group or not. We have got to be mentally strong enough not to get carried away if we start the game really well and also if we have a setback in the first five minutes of a game, an injury or something like that.
That is the resilience you have got to have.
We are LIVE as the #ThreeLions prepare for their final training session ahead of facing Tunisia... https://t.co/iML4aJcoUq
— England (@England) June 17, 2018
England will face Tunisia at Volgograd Arena, Volgograd. The game will be televised live on BBC One.
