Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
» Gareth vow to match Welsh spirit » Grealish: We have the best attack
GARETH Southgate said England will match Wales’ fiery spirit and intensity in the first Battle of Britain at a World Cup tonight.
And Jack Grealish insisted the Three Lions have the best frontline as they aim to reach the last 16 in the clash at 7pm.
The match is to give a £270million boost to the economy as four million fans watch the game in pubs.
Southgate and vice-captain Jordan Henderson heard Wales’ Kiefer Moore “would love” to knock England out.
The England boss said: “We have got to match all of the spirit and energy our opponents will have.”
Henderson, 32, added: “We will do our talking on the pitch.”
All four teams in Group B can still make the next round.
England are in the strongest position with four points and will advance if they avoid a four-goal defeat by
Wales. A win would ensure No1 spot but they can still draw and finish top unless Iran beat the USA, or the Americans win by at least four goals.
Grealish, 27, who scored in the 6-2 win over Iran, played down criticism of the team selection following the goalless draw with the USA on Friday.
He said: “I am not going to say we have the best attack in the tournament but we are up there.”
The forward line includes stars
Bukayo Saka, 21,
Raheem Sterling, 27, and skipper Harry Kane.
Kane, 29, told his side to
“ignore the noise” while skipper Gareth Bale said UPBEAT Wales will give their all to win.
Meanwhile, Gary Lineker denied claims by Qatar’s Hassan Al-thawadi that he refused to “engage” with the hosts to discuss human rights issues before the World Cup. He criticised
the BBC star for failing to provide a “balanced view” of the country. Stuart Andrew, the UK’S first openly gay Sports Minister, will wear the Onelove armband at the game, saying: “I’m not going to shy away from who I am.”
Around 8,000 England fans are due at the match and Wales will have 6,000 in the 45,032-capacity Ahmad bin Ali stadium, 20km west of Doha.
Free Lions, the Football Supporters’ Association, believe beer prices will fall in Doha after some bars overestimated “what they can get away with”.
The World Cup Spending Report by Vouchercodes.co.uk found fans will have spent £50m on TVS and electricals, £27m on sportswear and £7.6m on items including souvenirs.