Gareth Southgate prepared for England to face ‘highly emotional’ World Cup clash

Gareth Southgate has predicted a “highly emotional” encounter in England’s third World Cup group game against one of Wales, Scotland or Ukraine.

The Three Lions could face their first ever World Cup finals encounter against another British nation, or take on a Ukraine side driven on by national pride as their country defends itself against Russia’s invasion.

The draw is again a relatively kind one for England, who take on Iran for the first time in a senior international on the tournament’s opening day on November 21st, before a match against a youthful and exciting United States team being rebuilt under Gregg Berhalter.

Group B is complete. ✅What do you make of that, #ThreeLions fans? pic.twitter.com/BCPGd9WaNP

— England (@England) April 1, 2022

The group stage will then conclude against one of those European sides, with the winner of the play-off path not known until June. Wales will play the winner of the Scotland-Ukraine semi-final match.

Southgate said: “The third one is going to be a highly emotional game whoever it is.

“We all know where our thoughts are with Ukraine and we have to see whether they are even able to play or not.

“And of course, if it’s one of the British teams, we’ve been through that in tournaments recently. So they become unique games, really. Form is totally out of the window.”

England were held to a goalless draw by the Scots at Wembley in the group stage of Euro 2020 last summer, while they beat Wales at Euro 2016.

Playing on the tournament’s opening day means there will be just eight days between the Premier League’s final games on November 13th and England’s first match at the World Cup.

Southgate did not see it as a major hurdle, and added: “It would only have been one or two days different