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thomas tuchel expects him England The players will “arrive with hunger” at next summer’s World Cup finals despite being drawn in a group with the 2018 finalists. croatia,
The German was in Washington DC on Friday to watch his team square off in Group L with Zlatko Dalic’s side – who finished third at the 2022 finals in Qatar – as well panama And ghana,
Scotland’s first final since 1998 will see them face five-time champions Brazil, 2022 semi-finalists Morocco and Haiti in Group C.
If the Republic of Ireland make the play-offs in March they will face co-hosts Mexico, South Korea and South Africa in Group A, while Wales or Northern Ireland know they are in Group B along with co-hosts Canada as well as Qatar and Switzerland, the other teams in that pool.
England’s first matches will be against Croatia in Toronto or Dallas on June 17, Ghana on June 23 in Boston or Toronto and then Panama on June 27 in New York/New Jersey or Philadelphia.
The venue and kick-off time will be finalized on Saturday, when Tuchel can start planning seriously for the final and choose a base camp.
The University of Kansas was floated as an option, but is now likely to be abandoned in favor of a more eastern base.
For now, Tuchel’s focus is on the matches ahead of him after an impeccable qualification campaign.
“I think it’s most important that you arrive with hunger and enthusiasm and we arrive as a team and we don’t worry about our opponents, we don’t worry about what might happen in the other group,” he said.
“The team performed excellently over the last three camps and that’s the mentality and energy we want to keep in the team. Hopefully everyone will be available. There’s still a very long way to go, even though now it feels like it’s going to start next week.”
Croatia defeated England in the 2018 semi-finals and Tuchel expects to provide them with a tough test again next summer.
“Of course, (Croatia) are tough,” he said.
“They are proud, they are full of talent. I’m pretty sure I already have a message on my phone from Mateo Kovacic (whom he trained at Chelsea). But yes, of course, we know them, they know us, it’s a big opening match, it could easily be the quarter-finals or even later in the tournament, but it is what it is.
“I have always said don’t wish for things, we don’t want to avoid anything at any cost, so now we know and now (we need) to be prepared.”
If England top their group, they will be on track to face Mexico in Mexico City in the last 16 before meeting Brazil in the quarter-finals if both sides also top their group.
“Someone said, ‘Whoever wins a medal in New Jersey deserves it in the toughest tournament,'” Tuchel said.
“From what you just said (about playing in Mexico and then Brazil) it seemed like a very difficult tournament.
“I would be excited to play in Mexico City, because I remember the World Cup there (in 1986), and then I watched it as a teenager and it was just like watching something from Mars or another galaxy, but to be there and then play a knockout game against Mexico?
England captain Harry Kane told social media channel Cleats after the draw: “Obviously we’ll try to win it, try to be champions and that’s always the aim for England. We know it’s going to take a lot of hard work. It’s an exciting challenge.”
“Croatia will be a tough game, we have played a lot of games with them in recent years. They are always equal players and we have been on top in some of them.”
Tuchel admitted that the plans the Football Association had made for their base camp were now “out the window” and added: “As soon as we know the schedule and the venues on Saturday, we will think about it and make some decisions.”
England will also learn the kick-off times for their matches on Saturday, with FIFA having to try to keep European television audiences happy while also protecting players from the scorching heat of the North American summer.