England midfielder puts high importance on Russia encounter, while opponents call up Yusupov to squad following injury
England need to secure at least a draw in their Euro 2016 opener against Russia on Saturday in Group B to avoid putting themselves on the back foot in the fight for places in the knockout rounds, midfielder James Milner said.
England face Russia in their first game in Marseille and Milner urged his teammates to focus on giving themselves a platform to build on by taking at least a point should they fail to win the game.
History is not on the English side going into the match, as they have never won their opening game at the European Championship finals in eight attempts.
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Four years ago, they drew 1-1 with France in their first game, a result that helped them reach the quarter-finals, and when they reached the last four in 1996 they did so on the back of drawing their tournament opener with Switzerland 1-1.
“What I’ve learnt more than anything is: don’t lose your first game, whatever happens,” the Liverpool midfielder said.
“It’s great to win it and get off to a flying start but if you can’t get that win, make sure you are solid and don’t concede late on looking for the winner.
“Make sure you get a solid start, at least a draw, because as soon as you lose that first game in a three-game group you put yourselves under pressure straight away. That’s the biggest thing.”
England drew criticism for the manner in which they played during their drab 1-0 win over Portugal in their final warm-up game on Thursday, where they struggled to break down an opposition reduced to 10 men for the final 55 minutes, but Milner said the team would raise their game at the tournament.
“We’ve had three wins out of three against different, but difficult, opposition without playing our best football,” he said of the 2-1 wins over Turkey and Australia prior to the Portugal match. “We’ve got gears to go through and we want to peak at the tournament,” he added.
“We can play a variety of formations, there are players with so many different strengths – pace, trickery, solid players and more defensive-minded players – so I think as a squad we’ve got so many options.”
The England squad arrived in France yesterday in Chantilly, north of Paris, to complete their final preparations before they head to Marseille at the weekend. Wales and Slovakia the other teams in the group.
Meanwhile, Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Artur Yusupov has been called up to Russia’s squad to replace Igor Denisov who has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury.
The Dynamo Moscow midfielder, who has 54 caps, damaged a hamstring during Russia’s 1-1 draw with Serbia in a friendly on Sunday in Monaco.
Yusupov, who won the first of his two caps in November, did not have a long journey to make as he had been staying in the same Monaco hotel on holiday when he received the news.
“This is just the way it happened. After being on holiday for 14 days, of course I am going to be a bit out of shape,” Yusupov, 26, said. “I don’t really know what sort of physical condition I will be in.”
Yusupov took part in Russia’s first training session in Paris after the squad flew to the French capital late on Sunday.
“I was supposed to fly back to Moscow today,” Yusupov said. “I didn’t even have my football boots with me and none of the clothes that I needed.”
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