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England coach Gareth Southgate confirmed in his pre-match press conference that neither Leicester City midfielder James Maddison nor veteran Manchester City defender Kyle Walker would be available for England 2022. Globalism The opening match of the cup against Iran later on Monday.
Madison missed the game with a knee injury picked up in the last Premier League game before the World Cup, while Walker puts the finishing touches on his recovery from knee surgery in early October.
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“Kyle Walker is a bit short (fitness) for this game, but he’s progressing well. We’re ahead of what we thought he might be at this point,” said Southgate of the defender, while commenting on Madison that he “hasn’t been able to Training since we arrived, so he won’t be able to make the match tomorrow.”
Iran coach Carlos Queiroz has warned that young players in England, such as Phil Foden, will pose an important threat to his team, according to Xinhua.
“This new generation that Gareth Southgate is bringing to the national team is, in my opinion, probably the most competitive England national team I’ve seen since 1966,” said the man who was an assistant at Manchester United, before joining Real Madrid in 2003.
“I’ve worked with Gil Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, all these guys, but this national team is really different, because they take a realistic approach to any one game, which makes them very dangerous,” commented the Portuguese.
Wallis Midfielder Allen misses the World Cup opening
Wales manager Rob Page has said Wales midfielder Joe Allen will miss the opening World Cup match against the United States. The 32-year-old midfielder, who has played 72 times for Wales, has not played a competitive match since September due to a hamstring injury.
“It probably won’t work, quite frankly. We could have pushed him, but if he collapses, he’s out of the championship,” Page said.
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Speaking about the situation in Group Two, Page told reporters that Wales could be the underdogs.
“When you look at England and the USA, naturally people talk about them as the first two, and then we and Iran,” Page said.
“We are new to the championship and there may be some surprises on the way. We are under no pressure,” he added.
During the press conference, Wales captain Gareth Bale said he was preparing for the great challenge of leading his teammates to World Cup matches.
“Everyone has been dreaming of her for a long time. We had many close calls. For us to be the team that crossed the line was incredible,” said the 33-year-old.
Wales will play against the United States at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium on Monday evening in its first World Cup match in 64 years.
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