Players to battle 30C hell
ENGLAND stars will lose up to nine pints of sweat in their opener tomorrow as Volgograd is hit by a heatwave.
The Three Lions fly in today for the clash with Tunisia after training in temperatures as low as
11C last week. Volgograd, which hit
34C on Friday, is in southern Russia –
1,500 miles south of England’s base near St Petersburg. Experts warned players would face dehydration, with the city expected to have a
30C high for the match tomorrow.
Manager Gareth Southgate will have prepared his team for the heat and humidity, particularly as England flopped against Italy in
32C temperatures in their first game in Brazil four years ago.
Sports training firm Peak Performance Online said: “Regardless of fitness, there is a critical core temperature limit at which point athletes are forced to reduce intensity or risk heat-related illness.” Southgate decided against basing the team in a warm area of Russia near Sochi and chose instead to stay in Repino, which is in the coolest part of the country being used for the World Cup.
England could battle highs of up to 27C for the other group games, against Panama in Nizhny Novgorod on June 24, and Belgium in Kaliningrad on June 28.