English Soccer News

England v Bulgaria: We have everything to prove, says Gareth Southgate

Southgate’s side have a 100% record so far in Euro 2020 qualifying
Euro 2020 Qualifier: England v Bulgaria
Venue: Wembley Stadium Date: Saturday, 7 September Kick-off: 17:00 BST
Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live; text commentary on the BBC Sport website.

Gareth Southgate says England still have “everything to prove” as they look to build on last year’s impressive run to the World Cup semi-finals.

The Three Lions play Euro 2020 qualifiers against Bulgaria at Wembley on Saturday and then Kosovo at St Mary’s next Tuesday.

Victories in both those games would make qualification for next year’s tournament a near formality.

“We have got to take care of qualification,” said Southgate.

“We have everything to prove in terms of world rankings. We are competitive against any team but any team is capable of beating us.

“We have to strive to improve the mentality of the team, they are hungry to do that. We want to push each other every day in training and take those performances onto the field.”

England are top of Group A following wins against the Czech Republic and Montenegro.

Team news

Jessie Lingard is a doubt for Saturday’s game with illness, which could mean a first cap for Chelsea youngster Mason Mount.

A back problem has already ruled out Lingard’s Manchester United team-mate Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

However, Southgate says he is happy with the strength in depth of his squad.

“The competition for places is a great thing for us,” he said.

“As a coach, that’s an enjoyable problem to have.”

Who is in your England XI?

Here is the team BBC Sport readers think should start against Bulgaria (as of 14:20 BST on Friday).

Do you agree? Make your selection here.

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