England have target on back - Mead

Forward Beth Mead said European champions England "have a target connected our back" arsenic they look to move their Euro 2025 qualifying run around.

The Lionesses, who are hoping to take sides their European title successful Switzerland adjacent year, person had a mixed commencement successful their qualifiers and presently beryllium 3rd successful their group down France and Sweden.

So acold Sarina Wiegman's broadside person drawn pinch Sweden, beaten nan Republic of Ireland and mislaid to France, who they play again connected Tuesday for nan 2nd clip successful 4 days.

"You’ve sewage to hit nan champion to beryllium nan best, and we person a target connected our backmost since winning nan Euros," Arsenal's Mead said.

"But we person capable value successful this squad to beryllium capable to play against immoderate squad and hit them. It’s a reliable group and immoderate would opportunity it's nan group of decease but you person to hit nan champion to beryllium nan best."

Mead put England 1-0 up astatine St James' Park connected Friday, earlier nan Lionesses conceded from 2 poorly defended corners arsenic they mislaid 2-1.

But nan 29-year-old is assured England person what it takes to triumph successful Saint-Etienne.

"When we look astatine nan crippled it's mini margins," she said. "We fto successful 2 group pieces, which we pridefulness ourselves massively, connected and it's very frustrating.

"If we bring nan crippled we cognize we tin play past we person nary logic not to beryllium capable to hit this French team."

England must decorativeness first aliases 2nd successful their group to automatically suffice for adjacent summer's tournament, aliases consequence entering 2 rounds of play-offs later this year.

Despite nan precocious stakes, leader Weigman wouldn't beryllium drawn connected calling Tuesday's crippled a must-win.

"I want to win," she said. "We ever want to triumph games and it would really thief america to put america successful a amended position if we triumph nan game.

"We don't calculate. Of people we perfectly want to win, but if we wouldn't triumph we still person an opportunity to suffice for nan Euros. It's not what we want because we are still going to effort and apical nan group and that intends we request a triumph tomorrow."

Wiegman was criticised aft Friday's conclusion for her squad action and deficiency of rotation wrong nan starting XI.

She believes her broadside tin study from their mistakes successful Newcastle without changing excessively much.

"We are trying to beryllium unpredictable," she said. "We want to amended our crippled each nan time, successful possession and retired of possession.

"We person an identity. We are not going to propulsion everything overboard because we want to beryllium unpredictable for our opponents, because past we are going to beryllium unpredictable for ourselves.

"We want to build connected what we already person and do a mates of things amended pinch a mates of small tweaks."