Alessia Russo says England are focused on playing best football against Spain – not revenge for World Cup ‘hurt’

ALESSIA RUSSO is backing England to amusement Spain wherefore they tin beryllium satellite beaters astatine Wembley connected Wednesday night.

Tomorrow’s 8:00pm Nations League clash volition beryllium their archetypal gathering since Spain broke Lionesses’ hearts successful the 2023 World Cup final.

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Alessia Russo and Keira Walsh were each smiles successful grooming connected Tuesday up of their highly anticipated clash with Spain[/caption]

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Russo, who scored successful the Lionesses’ 1-1 gully with Portugal, hopes they tin registry their archetypal triumph successful this year’s Nations League successful their 2nd League A radical C game[/caption]

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England’s clash with Spain astatine Wembley volition beryllium sternest competitory trial since the 2023 World Cup final[/caption]

England person not beaten the champion women’s broadside connected the satellite since the quarter-finals of their Euro 2022 winning campaign.

But the squad that toppled Spain that time volition beryllium wholly antithetic to the 1 that steps retired successful beforehand of a 55,000-strong assemblage astatine the nationalist stadium.

Five players are injured – including joint-Golden Boot victor Beth Mead and lucifer victor Georgia Stanway – portion Jill Scott, Ellen White and Rachel Daly person retired.

Arsenal striker Russo wants England to determination guardant with their caller procreation and debar focusing connected revenge for the World Cup.

Among England’s newer rising stars is Grace Clinton who started against Portugal connected February 21 in a League A radical C encounter.

Tonight could the six-capped Manchester United ace diagnostic successful midfield again with Stanway recovering from a collateral genu ligament tear. 

Russo said: “We person tons of caller faces and prime successful the squad now.

“Revenge reflects connected the past a small bit. It wounded and it wasn’t bully to suffer out, but we privation to beryllium moving forward.

“We person a caller accidental and we person each of our fans there.

“We person a caller squad now, tons of antithetic caller faces, tons of vigor astir the spot which is nice. We are successful a bully spot and enjoying our football.”

A lacklustre 1-1 gully with Portugal last Friday led to disapproval of England’s signifier with conscionable 2 wins from their past six games.

But triumph time for caput manager Sarina Wiegman would not beryllium astir making critics devour their words.

The Lioness brag said: “We’re not playing shot to bushed the critics. We’re playing shot to triumph games and we tin conscionable effort to beryllium astatine our best.

“We privation to get much consistency to support it going longer. Then we determination forward.

“Sometimes things spell truly well, sometimes things don’t spell arsenic well. We effort to enactment neutral.”

Russo, who scored the opener against Portugal, could look Arsenal pals Mariona Caldentey and Laia Codina.

The trio each featured successful the past World Cup last successful Sydney, which Spain won 1-0.

She added: “Laia and Mariona are some precise comic and large additions (for Arsenal)

“I truly bask speaking to them and talking astir (our) antithetic experiences.

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Tomorrow’s crippled volition spot Russo spell up against her Arsenal team-mates Mariona Caldentey and Laia Codina[/caption]

“To play alongside them, they bring truthful overmuch quality.

“As opponents, they are apical players. The full Spanish squad is afloat of talent.

“This is simply a trial against immoderate of the champion players successful the world, but it’s besides a accidental for america to enactment connected immoderate of our champion football.”