England right-back Kieran Trippier insisted on Sunday that his side wouldn’t underestimate Wales in their final Group B game.
England go into the match atop of the group with four points from two matches, while bottom side Wales still have a slight mathematical chance of making the next round, but more than anything, Robert Page’s side will look to recover their pride with a win against their neighbors and rivals.
That won’t be easy and the Welsh have not beaten England since a 1-0 win in the now-defunct Home International Championships in 1984, with England winning the last six meetings between the two teams—the last of which was a 3-0 friendly win in 2020.
However, despite those results and an apparent difference in class between the two squads, Trippier knows the significance of the match. “The motivation is there —England against Wales is a massive game,” said the defender.
“Every single team in our group are in the (Fifa) top 20. So you can’t underestimate any team—you have to give respect and we certainly do to Iran, USA and Wales,” he added.
Elsewhere, Brazil head coach Tite says the high number of fouls on Neymar “has to stop” after the forward was injured in their group-stage victory over Serbia.
Neymar appeared to be in tears on the bench after being substituted in the 80th minute with a sprained ankle. The 30-year-old was on the receiving end of a heavy tackle from Nikol Milenkovic in the 2-0 win on Thursday. “If you want to celebrate the football, you have to pay attention to the fouls,” said Tite. “They focus on specific players. This is the effect. This has to be stopped.”
Since his first World Cup in 2014, Neymar has been fouled 53 times in the competition, at least 11 more than any other player.
He was fouled nine times against Serbia, more than any other player in their opening match in Qatar.
Neymar will not play in Brazil’s remaining group stages matches, but Tite said he remained confident the Paris St-Germain forward would feature again at the World Cup.
“I believe Neymar and (injured defender) Danilo will play in the World Cup. I’m not in a position to speak about (medical information),” said Tite.
“I can say that, not only about Neymar, but also about Danilo, both of their situations have evolved, but we believe both will be available to play at the World Cup.”
