2018 World Cup: England Preparations
The countdown to the 2018 FIFA World Cup has well and truly begun, with England manager Gareth Southgate having named his 23-man squad which will travel to Russia in June hoping to give a better showing than they did at Euro 2016 two years ago. After a long domestic campaign in the English Premier League, England’s players are looking to get back in the swing of things, with many currently training at St George’s Park, England’s base ahead the tournament. Manchester United and Chelsea players involved in the FA Cup final are set to join the squad in the coming days, while Jordan Henderson and Alexander Trent-Arnold will return following the Champions League final in Kiev.
England will play two warm-up matches before travelling to Russia, starting off with a clash against Nigeria at Wembley Stadium on June 2. The Super Eagles are certainly set to provide a significant threat to the Three Lions, with many of those involved for the visitors plying their trade in the Premier League. Harry Kane will lead England out at Wembley after being named captain, while Southgate is set to experiment with his squad elsewhere. England are 8/13 favourites for victory at Wembley with bookmaker William Hill, however it may take some time for the hosts to rediscover their best form, having not played together since their 1-1 draw with Italy back in March.
Just five days after their clash at Wembley, England will play their final match before the World Cup, coming against Costa Rica at Elland Road, the home of Leeds United. The two nations met in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with a goalless draw being recorded that day. The match is likely to see players from Liverpool return to action, meaning that Trent-Arnold could well earn his first cap for England.
England will look to travel to Russia with two friendly victories under their belt, with their opening match of the tournament coming against Tunisia on June 18th in Volgograd. The match is a repeat of England’s opening match at the 1998 World Cup in France, where Glenn Hoddle’s side came out 2-0 winners. Southgate would undoubtedly take a similar result this summer, with England and Belgium being the favourites to qualify from Group G.
Southgate and his men face Tunisia in Volgograd, before making the near 1000km journey to Nizhny Novgorod in order to take on World Cup debutants Panama. England will then complete their Group G campaign with an encounter with Belgium in Kaliningrad on June 28, with the match taking place at the Kaliningrad Stadium.