England And Wales Prepare For Euro 2025 Battle

England v Wales astatine Euro 2025

Venue: Arena St Gallen Date: Sunday 13 July, 20:00 BST

Coverage: Listen connected BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Sounds, and travel matter updates connected BBC Sport website and app

A spot successful nan Euro 2025 quarter-finals is up for grabs erstwhile defending champions England and tourney debutants Wales spell head-to-head.

It is their last lucifer successful Group D, and England will beryllium dense favourites erstwhile nan 2 meet successful St Gallen, Switzerland, astatine 20:00 BST connected Sunday.

England, 25 places higher than Wales successful nan world rankings, cognize triumph will guarantee their progression to nan knockout stages.

Wales dream to inflict an upset, but only triumph by a ample scoreline would springiness them a chance of reaching nan past eight.

Fans person been flooding into St Gallen fresh for nan match-up betwixt nan 2 location nations, pinch plentifulness of talk successful nan build-up astir their historical sporting rivalry.

England person ne'er mislaid to Wales successful 10 erstwhile meetings betwixt nan pair, winning 9 times and drafting once, nan 0-0 stalemate coming successful April 2018.

The Lionesses person ne'er been beaten by a location federation astatine a awesome tourney either.

However, England defender Alex Greenwood said it would beryllium conscionable a "normal" crippled for her and she is not focused connected nan rivalry.

"Personally, it's different game. It's now nan astir important crippled we want to play," said Greenwood.

"That's really I look astatine it and that's really I dainty it. For nan fans and everyone astir it I deliberation it's brilliant.

"The ambiance is going to beryllium awesome and thing we tin each look guardant to. But from a individual perspective, it's different really important game."

The Lionesses sewage disconnected to a disappointing commencement successful Switzerland pinch a 2-1 conclusion by France, but bounced backmost to hit nan Netherlands 4-0 connected Wednesday.

That triumph revived their hopes of reaching nan quarter-finals and put their destiny backmost successful their ain hands.

The talk from nan Welsh campy suggested each nan unit lies pinch England arsenic a consequence - but that didn't look to faze head Sarina Wiegman.

Asked if Wales were trying to play mind games, she said: "Maybe, I don't know. But we person our ain preparations and we cognize besides what's connected nan line.

"We will effort to do everything to triumph nan crippled because we want to get through. There's ever unit connected England but we person that from expectations.

"I learned a small spot astir nan history and nan rivalry. But again we attraction connected what we person to do and really we want to play, and find a measurement to win."

Wales skipper Angharad James and head Rhian Wilkinson judge each nan unit will beryllium connected England successful St Gallen.

James said her broadside would emotion to outpouring an upset and sound nan reigning champions retired of Euro 2025.

As improbable arsenic a triumph by a four-goal separator is, Wales would still relish a first triumph against a apical 10-ranked nation, particularly pinch England being their biggest footballing rivals.

"It's a rivalry lucifer and 1 everyone wants to play in," she told BBC Sport Wales.

"The unit is each connected England. They person to perform. We judge we tin upset a very apical team. We are fresh for nan fight.

"As a Welsh woman, do you want to sound England out? Of people you do. It's successful our humor and successful our DNA. The rivalry has ever been there."

Wilkinson compared nan rivalry pinch England to nan 1 she has known during her profession arsenic a Canadian world erstwhile playing against nan United States, but said England should constitute disconnected Wales astatine their peril because her broadside person thing to lose.

"It would beryllium detrimental for them to look past us, but that's their problem. I understand a grudge lucifer pinch my neighbours. I can't dress there's not history there," she said.

"England are a apical team. I'm looking guardant to putting these unthinkable women retired against them. The unit is each connected them. We cognize location is still a chance. What do we person to fear? It's conscionable an breathtaking opportunity.

"With England, of people there's a storyline. I deliberation everyone's present for a reason. First for nan women's game, and secondly, why wouldn't we spell towards a rivalry?

"England will beryllium forced to play a beardown line-up because it is specified a adjacent group... truthful for my women, we get to show up and spoil nan party, and that's a awesome occupation to have."

Skipper James has a beardown relationship to their guidance because she is joined to England world Amy James-Turner, but she claims her woman will beryllium cheering connected Wales.

"Amy will beryllium wearing nan reddish garment of Wales," she said. "When nan groups were drawn, that's nan first mobility I asked her - who will she beryllium supporting? She's Wales done and through."