By Matt Hardy
England’s Declan Rice has urged his side to go “that one step ahead” and beat a top team to win a first major men’s trophy since 1966.
Gareth Southgate’s England are in Naples tomorrow to face Italy in their opening qualifier ahead of Euro 2024 in a repeat of the Euro 2020 final that they lost on penalties.
After tomorrow’s match, England’s Three Lions will host Ukraine on Sunday evening at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Rice: England must beat top team
“Without a doubt, yes,” West Ham captain Rice said when asked if the World Cup quarter-final loss to France in December will be a motivator from now on.
“I think if we look at ourselves after that France game, we took a lot of positivity from the game, even though we lost.
“As a group of players, there was a real belief in the room that we can compete with the best but it’s down to us now to go that one step ahead and beat a top nation and win a trophy.
“That’s all that is on our minds and starting tomorrow night trying to beat Italy and starting our campaign off well.”
Ivan Toney has been included in the wider squad despite last year being charged by the Football Association with over 200 breaches of their gambling laws – the Brentford striker denies some of the breaches and is yet to face a formal hearing.
If England are to win in the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium – where some have suggested fans could face trouble from ‘ultras’ – they will need to do it without Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount and Nick Pope with the trio not travelling to the continent due to injury.
England are in Group C alongside tonight’s hosts Italy and Sunday’s visitors to London, Ukraine, as well as North Macedonia and Malta.
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