We must be brave and work hard against England - Black Queens boss Kim Lars Björkegren

Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Björkegren has urged his squad to approach their upcoming friendly against England with courage and resolve.

The West African team will face the European champions at St Mary’s Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 19:00 GMT.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Björkegren reflected on England’s recent 3-0 win over China, highlighting lessons his side could learn from the encounter.

“England played great, and at the same time, I respect China,” he said.

“We are talking about a team that is 16th in the world, and we are 67th, so I can’t blame them too much. But I think that in how they attacked the game, they made some mistakes. They were too afraid. And if you are afraid to play against England, then you’re going to be destroyed, exactly what happened.”

The Swedish coach stressed that the Black Queens would need a bolder approach.

“We need to attack the game differently. We believe in ourselves. We know we have strong players who are ready to tackle, to work hard, to take every duel. I hope we can stay in the game as long as possible. Our game plan is to win, whether that’s realistic or not, I don’t know, and I don’t care.”

Björkegren also highlighted the squad’s unity and ambition, emphasizing the importance of showing their identity on the pitch.

“I like the fact that we work hard and dream big, and we do it together. You’re going to see a hard-working team. Whether it gives us a good result or not, we will see, but we’re going to do everything we can. If we are brave out there and give everything, everyone watching will see that we did something really good,” he added.

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