England has nothing to fear in World Cup draw, says Hodgson

Roy Hodgson says England's progress under Gareth Southgate means it should go into Friday's World Cup draw in confident spirits.

Published : Dec 01, 2017 01:17 IST

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson believes  England is progressing well under Gareth Southgate and should not be concerned about the prospect of a so-called 'group of death'.
Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson believes England is progressing well under Gareth Southgate and should not be concerned about the prospect of a so-called 'group of death'.
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Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson believes England is progressing well under Gareth Southgate and should not be concerned about the prospect of a so-called 'group of death'.

England has nothing to fear from Friday's draw for the World Cup group stage, according to former boss Roy Hodgson.

Gareth Southgate's side, which finished eight points clear at the top of Group F in Europe's qualifying section, is in pot two for the ceremony in Moscow.

It could be paired with any of Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Portugal or Belgium in their group in Russia, with the world's top-ranked teams – along with the host nation – in pot one.

READ: World Cup 2018: Countdown to heat up after Kremlin draw

Pot three also features some tough sides, including Iceland, which knocked Hodgson's England out of Euro 2016 to spell the end of his tenure.

However, the Crystal Palace manager believes the team is progressing well under Southgate and should not be concerned about the prospect of a so-called 'group of death'.

"I don't think Southgate or England will be bothered about that, they will have confidence about how the team is improving," he said on Thursday.

"They do not need to fear any of those scenarios or ideal groups. I would summarise my feelings that I am confident that, no matter what group England find themselves in, it really won't matter.

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"What will matter is that the players Southgate picks will be good enough to win against [any] of them and I don't think England will fear anyone.

"I don't think it matters what draw England get what matters is they will go there with a good team that I believe is capable of doing extremely well.

"It certainly doesn't go on FIFA rankings as there are a lot from the top 10 I would rather meet than 25 down."

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