MX23RW : Saturday, December 14 11:13:18| >> :120:41525:41525:

Gareth Southgate: 'England cannot write teams off'

Gareth Southgate says that he is looking forward to taking on Tunisia at next summer's World Cup, while also remaining cautious about the threat of Panama.

England boss Gareth Southgate has warned his players to be wary of unknown opponents Tunisia and Panama at next summer's World Cup finals.

The Three Lions have been placed in a group with the African and Central American nations, along with top seeds Belgium.

Southgate has faced Tunisia before in the tournament during his playing days, helping his side to a 2-0 group-stage win in France nearly two decades ago, but he admits that more research is required on two of England's opponents.

"Remembering the Tunisia game in 1998, it was the first thing that went through my mind," he told BBC Sport. "It was a fantastic day and it's nice to be able to relive that.

"We haven't done as much preparing on the African teams yet so now that's what we can focus in on."

Asked about Panama, he added: "We've been good at writing teams off and then getting beat. We've got to be prepared for every game."

England face Tunisia in their first Group G match, before locking horns with Panama six days later and Belgium in Kaliningrad to round things off.

ID:313145: cacheID:313145:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2251:
Written by
Daniel Lewis
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Interim England manager Gareth Southgate on the touchline during the international friendly with Spain at Wembley on November 15, 2016
Read Next:
England draw Belgium in 2018 World Cup
>
Read more about Gareth Southgate 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!