Final group games 'massive' for England - Russo

Alessia Russo says England person 2 "massive" games up if they are to execute their "goal" of automatic qualification for Euro 2025 successful Switzerland.

The Lionesses are 3rd successful Group A3, trailing second-placed Sweden connected extremity difference.

The defending European champions information disconnected their group schedule by facing nan Republic of Ireland successful Norwich connected Friday (20:00 BST) earlier taking connected Sweden successful Gothenburg 4 days later.

Two wins would beryllium capable to guarantee England's spot astatine nan tourney adjacent July, but finishing extracurricular nan apical 2 successful nan group would time off Sarina Wiegman's broadside needing to spell done a play-off to qualify.

"[Automatic qualification] is what we want, we want to beryllium qualified, look guardant to that and person a attraction connected it," said Arsenal striker Russo.

"This group's tough, but yet that's nan goal."

England took only 4 points from their first 3 games successful nan group, earlier a 2-1 triumph against France successful Saint-Etienne connected 4 June boosted their qualification hopes.

Russo added: "We put successful a capacity that we needed and we wanted to arsenic a nation.

"It was awesome to get a triumph and get our standards backmost to wherever we wanted them, because we person very precocious standards arsenic a squad and arsenic players.

"These 2 games are monolithic arsenic well. Preparations person been good. You want to beryllium competing successful large games, you want to beryllium playing apical guidance and that's what we've sewage successful this group."

Russo said nan Republic of Ireland, who were beaten 2-0 by England successful Dublin successful nan reverse fixture successful April, will "definitely not beryllium an easy test".

She said: "When you meet teams doubly successful a short abstraction of time, you return things from nan games that you want to activity connected aliases do better.

"Although things mightiness alteration from crippled to game, principles often enactment nan same.

"It's bully to person those games, reappraisal them, bespeak connected them arsenic a squad and put caller things into believe going forward."