Rossi: Together, we can overcome difficulties

"It's never easy to prepare for every scenario. We are trying to prepare to the best of our ability and we know that we will face many difficulties. We’ve played against stronger opponents many times before, and my team has proven that it can play football without fear. Although we know how strong this opponent is, we mustn't allow room for fear. It will be a difficult match, but together we can overcome these difficulties. If we manage to play as a team, we can, as we often have in recent times, surprise our opponent. So even if I'm not completely satisfied with the result, I want to be completely satisfied with our performance. This is what our fans expect; for us to look boldly in the eyes of our opponents and try to stand up to them as equals", Marco Rossi said at the national team’s press conference.

The Italian coach also said his team had gained confidence recently and that while there are gaps in the squads, he thinks he has found ways to fill them, but the success of this will only be measured on the pitch.

"If we look at the results of the European Championships, I have to say that the English team is stronger than our opponents there, as evidenced by the tournament, where they were one step away from winning and only lost in a penalty shootout. We're aware of the values ​​of the opponent both as a team and individually. There are opponents with very few or no weak points, and this English national team can find advantages in any situation; they often find space, they are also good at set-pieces and they are very effective in transition, so it's no coincidence that they are one of the highest-ranking national teams. What is important about tomorrow’s match is that we will be playing in front of 60,000 spectators and no matter what state of mind the opponent enters the pitch, we need to do our best. We don’t know if the lost (EURO 2020) final will be to our advantage or disadvantage".

Rossi also discussed some of the complexities of selecting his squad:

“Whoever comes home from America has to travel a very long way, and due to the time lag, they are only allowed to rest for the first few days, but we were also aware of that when we announced the squad. When players meet again after all this time, the differences they develop at their clubs need to be understood very quickly. From the outset, I try to select players who are in the best possible shape out of those I consider to be international-level players".

"I'd definitely celebrate in the same way, and if we' take the lead now, I wouldn't cry"

Sitting alongside Rossi, midfielder András Schäfer recalled his goal against Germany at the recent European Championship and the joy of scoring. "No matter who scores the goals, let's get a good result against England tomorrow. This would of course give us a big boost, but we have to keep our feet on the ground, not live off the performances at the European Championship and to instead prepare for the World Cup qualifiers with the utmost humility".

On Thursday, some of the biggest stars in Europe will once again step onto the Puskás Arena pitch, just as others did when France and Portugal took on our national team in the summer.

"We played against world stars at the European Championship whom I'm sure could be overshadowed by anyone else. We didn’t shy away from this challenge then and we won't now. Of course, we respect the opponent, but everyone is there to get the best possible result,” added the DAC midfielder, who also sent his own message to the fans:

"I really hope the atmosphere in the World Cup qualifiers will be the same as in the Euros, because it was unforgettable, so I pray that I will experience it again. Fans need to know that they are our biggest weapon and we want it to stay that way, so we ask them to avoid racist, discriminatory chants. We never want to play in an empty stadium again".