Sarina Wiegman has insisted that England will not play for a draw in their crucial Women's World Cup qualifier against Spain, despite knowing that a point would be enough to secure their place in next year's tournament in Brazil.
The Lionesses currently lead qualifying Group A3 with a perfect record, sitting three points clear of the reigning world champions Spain ahead of Friday's clash in Mallorca. A draw would guarantee England the only automatic qualification spot from the group, while a Spanish victory would keep the battle alive until the final matchday.
"Of course, direct qualification is what we want," said Wiegman. "We are in a good position, and we are ready for tomorrow. We just want to qualify as quickly as possible. It is a hard group, and it is a difficult game. We know what the consequences are, so no matter what happens, we have another opportunity. But we go out there to play and win."
England's travelling squad is fully fit, but the Dutch head coach will be without captain Leah Williamson, who was ruled out earlier this week with a hamstring issue. Liverpool defender Grace Fisk has been called up as her replacement.
Chelsea attacker Lauren James has also returned to training "very quickly" after picking up a minor injury before the Blues defeated Manchester United to win the World Sevens trophy over the weekend.
Defender Lucy Bronze noted that the number of English holidaymakers in Mallorca has already made the Lionesses feel at home, joking that it did not take much convincing for family and friends to travel to Palma to support the team.
Wiegman led England to their first World Cup final in 2023, when the tournament was hosted by Australia. That loss to Spain has only added fuel to what has become an entertaining rivalry between the two sides.
"I think they bring out the best in us," Bronze said. "It is one of those rivalries where we have made each other better over the years, which is good for the game and good for each other. The way Spain has improved over the last four or five years has really pushed this England team on to improve as well, and that kind of filters through to the rest of Europe and the rest of the world. All the teams in Europe are improving as well. It is just a really good, fun rivalry that I think both teams absolutely love."
