England should forget about their potential opponents in the knockout rounds at the World Cup and focus only on beating Belgium, according to Jamie Carragher. Gareth Southgate’s side booked their place in the last 16 of the tournament on Sunday by crushing Panama 6-1 in Nizhny Novgorod.
Captain Harry Kane grabbed a hat-trick in the rout, sending the Tottenham striker clear in the race for the Golden Boot after he also scored both goals in the 2-1 win over Tunisia. England end their Group G campaign against fellow qualifiers Belgium on Thursday, with the two nations knowing the winners in Kaliningrad will finish top of the table.
And Carragher – who was in England’s squads for the 2006 and 2010 World Cups – believes the fixture offers the perfect opportunity to make a statement in Russia. “This can be the perfect dress rehearsal,” the former Liverpool defender said.”It might be that finishing below Belgium creates what appears to be a more ‘favourable’ draw, avoiding Brazil or Germany in the last eight. Equally, the group’s top side may avoid a tricky last-16 meeting with Senegal, who include Sadio Mane and Ismaila Sarr, or impressive Colombia.