Gareth Southgate has stated the importance of how the England football team can help bring the nation together during a ‘difficult spell’ for the country.
BBC One will be showing live coverage of England’s World Cup opener as England get their campaign underway against Iran.
The Three Lions are expected to start the tournament with a win but they face an Iran side who have tasted defeat just twice since 2019.
The two nations have never met before and Iran are ranked 20th in the FIFA world rankings, the highest of any Asian team and Carlos Queiroz’s side will kick off the World Cup aiming to reach the knockout stages for the first time .
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Speaking to the press, England Manager Southgate said: “Our challenge is to give the supporters a tournament that is memorable.
“Our country is going through a difficult spell, obviously not like a couple of other countries are going through, in the middle of an economic recession and life has been difficult for a lot of people.
“We want them to have a journey with the team that brings real happiness.”
Getting off to a winning start is imperative for any team in an international tournament, and with England’s main competitors, USA and Wales, facing off later today it is a good opportunity to top the group on matchday one.
After coming close to international success in 2018, reaching the World Cup semi-final and being beaten finalists at Euro 2020, Southgate’s side will be determined to go one better and win England men’s first international tournament since 1966.
“This team has been through lots of difficult challenges. You need to respond in the right way and that’s what we’ll aim to do,” said Southgate.
Team News
For England, James Maddison and Kyle Walker are both confirmed to be out through injury, therefore Mason Mount and Kieran Trippier are expected to start in their absence
As opposed to the traditional back-five that England fans have come accustomed to under Southgate, they are expected to switch to a back-four, with Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and Mount making up the midfield.
Ones to watch
If England are to go all the way this year, then they will need their captain and talisman Harry Kane to be at the top of his game, with six goals in his last World Cup, winning the golden boot, the Tottenham Hotspur striker will have his eyes on the prize again.
For the Persians, the main threats come in the shape of FC Porto’s Mehdi Taremi and Bayer Leverkusen’s Sardar Azmoun. Between them, the pair have 69 goals in 125 games and played a big part in reaching the semi-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup.
Where to watch
The game is set to kick-off at 13:00 GMT, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, the same venue which will host the final later in December. For those watching from the British Isles, BBC’s coverage will begin at midday.
Predicted England line-up
(4-3-3) Pickford; Trippier, Maguire, Stones, Shaw; Rice, Bellingham, Mount; Saka, Kane, Sterling.
Form guide
England – L D D L L D
Iran – W L W D W L
