England manager Gareth Southgate has urged his players to embrace Russia’s “festival of football” as they prepare to start their 2018 World Cup campaign against Tunisia.
Southgate and his squad flew to Volgograd from their base at Repino on the Gulf of Finland after training on Sunday to finalise their plans for Monday’s Group G game against Tunisia.
And he hopes England fully engage with the showpiece unfolding across this huge country when they attempt to secure their first win in the opening game of a major tournament since Paraguay were beaten at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.