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Reuters
REPINO (Russia)
England manager Gareth Southgate has done his utmost to lower the expectations on his young team at the World Cup but they enter their opening Group G game against Tunisia in a mood of quiet confidence.
After the humiliation of a second round exit at the hands of Iceland in Euro 2016 and their failure to get out of the group stage in Brazil four years ago, England fans were in no mood for rabble rousing talk of winning the tournament.
Indeed a deep cynicism had taken hold of many supporters but Southgate's humble approach and the youthful nature of his squad has managed to restore some degree of positivity.
"We always do this as a nation - expectations are low and as soon as we get to the World Cup, everybody gets their enthusiasm going. If a World Cup cannot inspire a nation, then I'm not sure what can,"said the English FA technical director Dan Ashworth.
Friendly wins over Nigeria and Costa Rica did no harm to the mood nor did the fact that, unlike so many times in the past, there is little, if any, controversy surrounding the squad.
And it is a squad that has plenty of attacking talent with Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling expected to start up front with Jesse Lingard and Dele Alli buzzing behind them.
That means forwards Marcus Rashford and Jamie Vardy are likely to start on the bench, giving Southgate plenty of options if his chosen strike pair fail to deliver.
The quality is thinner at the back but Southgate is hopeful that players like Harry Maguire and Kieran Trippier can turn their Premier League form into solid displays in Russia.
The final group game against Belgium should be the toughest test but England's recent history will prevent any complacency in the opener with Tunisia or the second game versus World Cup debutants Panama.
Tunisia are playing in their fifth World Cup but they have never got beyond the group stage and they have not won since they beat Mexico in their first ever game at a finals in 1978.
The North Africans were unbeaten in their World Cup qualifying campaign but had to endure a nervy finish when they drew 0-0 with strugglers Libya to edge out the Democratic Republic of Congo.
England and Tunisia met at France '98 with England winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Alan Shearer and Paul Scholes.
Tunisia coach Nabil Maaloul has singled out England's Dele Alli as his side's most dangerous opponent as he prepared for their World Cup Group G opener at the Volgograd Arena on Monday.
The confident coach, in his second spell as national team boss, said his side could beat England and open the door to progressing from the group stages and to the quarter-finals.
"Why not?" he told reporters ahead of his side's final training session in Volgograd on Sunday.
"Our team is ready," he added, referring to recent warm-up results where they drew with Portugal and lost narrowly to Spain.
"We played well in friendlies. We did well and we expect to do the same here."
But he stressed that to do well against England, Tunisia had to keep Alli quiet, and confessed he was an admirer of the 22-year-old Tottenham midfielder.
"He is a great player," said Maaloul."He is a midfielder who can play anywhere: centre, forward or deep midfield, up front on his own or wide on the left.
"We know how easily Alli and Kane can find each other and their understanding so must divide them.
"The most dangerous thing for me is the way he sees the match and plays the last pass."
The Tunisian coach placed England among the favourites to win the World Cup despite their abject record in recent major tournaments.
The Three Lions failed to get out of their group in Brazil in 2014 and were humiliated by Iceland in Euro 2016 in France.
"I was in the stadium when they played Iceland," he said."Now they are a more stronger side. The result is not going to be the same tomorrow.
"We have pressure and they have pressure to do well. We are representing Africa and the Arabic world. They are one of the favourites to win the World Cup."
Key stats
Where: Volgograd Arena
Capacity: 43,713
When: Monday June 18, 2100 local (1800 GMT/1400 ET)
Key stats:
- England will be competing at their 15th World Cup finals this year and are aiming to move past dissapointing campaigns in recent major tournaments as they look to progress to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2006.
- Tunisia will be appearing in their fifth World Cup finals but the North African nation have never progressed past the group stage.
- England, who won the tournament in 1966, were unbeaten in their World Cup qualifiers and are entering the finals in good form after recording three wins and a draw in their last four international friendlies.
- Tunisia were also unbeaten in qualification and earned hard-fought draws against Portugal and Turkey in their warm-up fixtures but suffered a narrow defeat by Spain. Their last international victory came against Costa Rica in March.
Previous meetings: The teams have played each other once before - England beat Tunisia 2-0 in the group stage of the 1998 World Cup.
