While England are favourites to win their group and progress to the knockout stages of the World Cup, many Three Lions fans have not forgotten Croatia dumping them out of the tournament at the semi-final stage in 2018. And former Chelsea boss Tuchel is certainly wary of their upcoming opponents, even though they beat them in Euro 2020.
“Difficult group, difficult opener. Difficult group with Croatia and Ghana, two regulars in World Cups and two proud and strong nations. Panama, I don’t know much about Panama at the moment but we will find out about it before the tournament starts, of course,” he said. “For me, I’m only experienced group football in Champions League formats and the way to approach it was to always give it the biggest respect and to put all the focus into winning the group. It always seems difficult like our group now but we are confident and we will be well prepared when we arrive.
“Nobody should be underestimated. Of course, Croatia is the standout, they’re the highest ranked team from pot two that we got into out group but listen, Ghana is always full of talent and can always surprise and has a big history in World Cup football, and also Panama will try to make the most in their underdog role. No one can be underestimated, everyone deserves the fullest respect and we can show that.”