MX23RW : Saturday, December 14 04:40:06| >> :600:5165600:5165600:

Harvey Barnes plays down England favourites tag ahead of Euro 2019

Harvey Barnes plays down England favourites tag ahead of Euro 2019
© Reuters
England travel to Italy and San Marino next week ahead of Euro 2019.

Harvey Barnes insists England Under-21s cannot look beyond the group stages at Euro 2019.

The Leicester winger is urging caution ahead of the tournament in Italy and San Marino this month.

The Young Lions face France, Romania and Croatia in Group C – opening against France in Cesena on June 18.

They lost on penalties to Germany in the semi-finals in Poland two years ago but Barnes is adamant England cannot dream about winning the tournament yet.

"It is something that is in the back of our heads but I don't think that is the main thing at the moment," he said.

"The main thing is the group stages, getting through that. Every team there wants to go and win it but for us the main focus is the first three games and making sure the performances and results are right.

"I think if you are going to say that we are one of the favourites, then France will be one of the favourites as well.

"We will both be looking at that game knowing the result is going to be important. I don't think you can base the group stages on one game because you never know what other results are going to happen.

"I think we are go into that game being positive and hoping to win it, of course."

Barnes trained with the squad at St George's Park on Tuesda,y while Aaron Wan-Bissaka missed out with a cold and Ezri Konsa was sidelined with a minor knee complaint.

Neither are long-term concerns with England flying out next week.

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Nick Mashiter, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'a1fae205-5e11-42c6-9e28-982d8d48eabf');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Barnes urges England Under-21s to focus on one Euro 2019 game at a time'});

ID:361105: cacheID:361105:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3583:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Ben Chilwell in action during the Premier League game between Everton and Leicester City on January 1, 2019
Read Next:
Ben Chilwell flattered by Man City interest
>
Read more about Harvey Barnes Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!