“The tension is rising again” says Sarina Wiegman ahead of crunch tie with Wales | OneFootball

England head coach Sarina Wiegman and the country’s most recent centurion Alex Greenwood spoke to the media ahead of their game against Wales on Sunday 13 July at 21:00 CET in St. Gallen. The game is a must-win if they wish to progress to the quarter-finals of Euro 2025.

On team news, Wiegman said: “Everyone came out of training really well and is available tomorrow. Everyone is fit to play 90 minutes.”

The game will be one with a lot on the line for Wiegman’s Lionesses. “I hope we will see a game where we will have the ball a lot and we play a very good possession so we can’t let it come to a fighting game. I’m not worried, but Wales as a team, they are very compact, they can fight, they’re really together. When they have the ball they can play really direct, which is something we will want to prevent. And the best way to do that is to be really good on the ball yourself, and move the ball very quickly and try to exploit spaces,” she said.

Physicality, fight, looking good on the ball, is the kind of game Greenwood likes to play. She said: “I think if we can be in control of large parts of the game then we remove that side of it, [which is] something that we want to do, but I expect a physical Wales side.”

To that, Wiegman added that they are solely focused on themselves, saying: “We have our own preparation and we know what’s on the line, and we’re going to do everything to win the game we want to get through. There’s always pressure on England. But we make it to expectation. We expect from ourselves that we’re going to play a good game.”

When looking at Wales’ earlier games, a low block will likely be played by the tournament debutants. “Of course that’s hard because there’s not that much space. That means that you have to create space, and the ball needs to move very quickly. And you need to be really tight on the ball and patient. We’ve also seen that Wales has not always played really low, so they’re very compact but they’re sometimes a bit higher on the pitch too. So that’s what we’ve seen in both of the games. Sometimes a bit deeper, sometimes a bit higher. We expect everything and of course we’re going to try and break that down,” Wiegman said.

In their own press conference, Wales’ Angharad James spoke about the rivalry her nation feels when playing England. Greenwood, however, doesn’t view it in the same way. “Maybe not as much [as James’ strength of feeling], no. I think for me personally it’s just another game. It’s now the most important game that we’re going to play. And that’s how I look at it, that’s how I treat it. For the fans and everybody around it, I think the vibe will be brilliant. The atmosphere tomorrow is going to be great and something that we should all look forward to. But from a personal perspective it’s another really important game,” she said.

England are a side that other teams want to beat, and that’s no different for Wales. Greenwood is currently in her sixth major tournament with the Lionesses. She has played in three World Cups and this is her third European Championship. “It’s something that we’re probably used to now, more so. That’s a pressure that we’ve invited because we’ve been successful and one we should be very proud of. But as a team, we don’t really focus too much on that. We focus on ourselves and our game plan, and the objective and that’s the way,” she added.

“I think we enjoy pressure but I think we also thrive in that moment. We showed that the other night against The Netherlands. That was a high pressure game and we performed under the highest pressure. [The game against Wales] now becomes another high pressure game and we are all really looking forward to it.”

Wiegman was asked if the tension in the camp had settled after the game against The Netherlands. “The tension is rising again. Because we will play again tomorrow. I think the players are really together and they’re taking responsibility. But also having conversations on and off pitch, I think that looks really good. And of course, then you have to perform again and that’s showing that with a good result. And that’s what we are going to try and do tomorrow,” she said.

As previously mentioned, Greenwood has recently been capped with her 100th appearance for the Lionesses, and on that topic she said: “I mean, playing for England has always been a dream of mine since I could kick a ball. To then make 100 caps for my country is genuinely something I never thought I would achieve. [I’m] really proud of doing that and really grateful for the people who have helped me along the way. It’s not often you get to make a 100 appearances for your country but in terms of enjoying playing for your country there is nothing quite like it. It’s a special feeling and every time I do it, it means everything to me.”

England plays Wales on Sunday 13 July at 21:00 CET [20:00 GMT] in St. Gallen. They must win the game in order to progress to the Quarterfinals.