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Doha: England manager Gareth Southgate has said his side will be prepared to give everything against a 'proud' Wales when both teams meet at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium today in a crunch FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B decider.
Iran will play the USA in the other group match.
England are assured of progress to the last 16 should they avoid a four-goal defeat to Wales, who must win to stand any chance of qualifying. Wales lost in heartbreaking style to Iran in their last match, while England managed a drab goalless draw which has spurred criticisms from fans and pundits against the Three Lions.
“They're a proud team with some very good players. We would have always expected them to play well. We're preparing for them in the same way we've prepared for the previous opponents. We'll have to see what formation they play. There's different possibilities for what they've done so far in the tournament. We're expecting to play a team that will give everything for the shirt,” Southgate said.
The English and Welsh teams have met 103 times. England has the most victories with 68 wins, while Wales have managed just 14 wins against their illustrious neighbours.
Southgate stressed that England would pick its best squad and insisted Harry Kane is fit and ready to play after recent calls for the Tottenham Hotspur striker to be rested. Ben White, however, is out for England due to illness.
“We're going to pick a team we believe can win the game. That's our priority, always. Harry is fine in terms of the knock he had. It's only Ben White missing with an illness. To this point, we've got pretty much everybody available which is a good position for us to be in. You want a fully fit squad, and that's where we're at.”
England, one of the favourites to win the World Cup, had started the tournament with a blistering 6-2 win over Iran, but a jarring goalless draw against the US has left Southgate scratching his head as to how to set up his side.
“We want to win football matches. We've got to balance freshness with stability,” the 52-year-old said.
“That's always the decision you make when picking the team. We've got a chance to win the group with a positive result. There's a lot for both teams resting on the game. Our performance is the key. We've played well with the ball in the first game and scored a lot of goals. The second game was tougher. We now want to put both elements together,” he added.
Wales' forward Gareth Bale (second right) takes part in a training session with teammates at Al Saad SC, yesterday. AFP
Wales looking to end on a high
For Wales, the euphoria of qualifying for their first World Cup in 64 years saw them snatch a point against the USA in their opener thanks to a Gareth Bale penalty.
However, against Iran, The Dragons were brought back down to Earth as they conceded two late goals to put them on the brink of missing out on the last 16.
“Absolutely. We've worked so hard to get in this position,” Wales manager Rob Page said of his team's desire to end the group stage on a high note.
The 48-year-old Page insisted his side are capable of knocking out England, referring to the several shocks already witnessed in Qatar.
“This tournament has shown anyone is beatable, so of course England are beatable. They've got a wonderful pool of players, but we want to show the Red Wall what we're capable of.
“My frustration is we've shown nowhere near the level of performance that's got us to the World Cup, which has been disappointing. Whether we get through or not, we have to give a performance our fans can be proud of. We want to react positively,” he added.
Page dismissed talks of resting Bale or Aaron Ramsey despite criticism against both players for their poor performance against Iran.
“You're going to have to wait to find out. Can they come on and make an impact if they don't start? They are talented footballers. We're getting criticism, and rightly so. We're big enough to take it. We'll put our big boy pants on and get on with it.”
Meanwhile, Bale said the players though disappointed to lose against Iran the way they did but are motivated to give 100% to give themselves a chance of advancing.
“We are at the World Cup with some very good teams, but we'll always give 100%. We have been working hard to improve things, and hopefully, things will turn around for us,” Bale said.
“We need to deliver as a team – it's not just one person. Of course, we would have loved to have been winning, but the reality is football is hard. We need to keep working hard, keep our spirits high.”
When: Today at 10:00pm
Where: Ahmed bin Ali Stadium (Capacity: 45,032)
Key stats:
- England have beaten Wales in their last six meetings.
- England also kept a clean sheet in five of those matches
- Gareth Bale is the only Welsh player to score against England in the 21st century when he opened the scoring in a 2-1 loss at the 2016 Euros.
- England will progress to the knockouts with a draw while a win will seal top spot in the group.
- Wales must beat England and hope the match between the United States and Iran ends in a draw. If the other game has a winner, Wales must beat England by at least four goals.
Previous meetings:
- England and Wales have played 103 times since their first meeting in 1879.
- England have beaten Wales 68 times and lost 14 while 21 games have ended in a draw.
- The teams last played an international friendly in October 2020 which England won 3-0.