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Stan Collymore: Why England must not blow this gift of a World Cup draw

Gareth Southgates England should qualify easily from Group G for the knockout phase of next summers World Cup in Russia.

Whether they do it by finishing first or second does not matter.

Gareth Southgates England should qualify from Group G for the knockout phase of next summers World Cup in Russia.

In Panama, theyre up against a nation which has never reached the finals before and, in Tunisia, one which has never made a dent in the tournament.

OK, so weve got paired with Belgium and their so-called Golden Generation, too.

But everything will be heaped on them and we know, better than anyone, the pressures that tag can bring.

Id still expect Roberto Martinezs Belgium side to qualify from the group and go as far as the last eight, and I also expect England to reach the knockout phase with them.

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(Image: FIFA via Getty)

Panama and Tunisia deserve to be in the finals, but if we dont beat them then we will deserve all the criticism we get.

Im hoping that by the time we take on Belgium in Kaliningrad that we are home and hosed in the group.

Because if we have to go head-to-head with Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Thibaut Courtois, Vincent Kompany you get the picture.

Well, Im not too sure how that would end.

The one thing I do know for certain is that clash throws up some tantalising battles between club-mates past and present.

John Stones against Lukaku, Harry Kane against Alderweireld and Vertonghen, Gary Cahill against Hazard and Kyle Walker against De Bruyne to name but a few.

[FIFA-2018-World-Cup-Draw-The-Kremlin.jpg]

(Image: PA)

There are so many and you can only imagine the WhatsApp group messages that have been flying around since Friday.

Its basically a derby game and I just hope its not do or die for either nation.

I have a lot of fondness for the Belgian team because so many of them play in the Premier League and entertain us week in, week out, and Im sure many of you feel the same. I spoke to Martinez and Southgate in Moscow after the draw on Friday, and both were happy.

Martinez, the former Wigan and Swansea player who went on to manage both clubs as well as Everton before taking over Belgium, has lived in England and Wales for more than two decades, so he knows the flak will be flying.

Southgate was his usual pragmatic self. He knows we have a good young side, a promising side, but he wasnt getting too carried away. He knows that if we pay Panama and Tunisia the respect they are due but are at it 100 per cent and defend well then we should beat them.

[Final-Draw-for-the-2018-FIFA-World-Cup-Russia.jpg]

(Image: Michael Regan - FIFA)

Although he also knows it would help to have an experienced head in the pack who could help us if either game started to go like the one against Iceland at the last Euros.

Even so, if Raheem Sterling continues to show the form he has done at the start of the season and the rest of the boys are firing, then we should be able to give them more trouble than they give us.

Can we finish in first in the group? Yes but, please, lets not leave it until the game against Belgium.

The one group that looks, on paper, to be far less straightforward is Group D, where our Icelandic nemeses have landed Argentina, Croatia and Nigeria.

If there is a Group of Death, or anything close, then its this one, where there will be a clash of styles and ideologies, in some ways.

Lionel Messi up against the graft of the Vikings, the physicality and youth of the Nigerian team and the technical brilliance we usually see from Croatia.

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Thats the most exciting group by far and do not be surprised if Iceland get through.

The pick of the group stage games is obviously Spain versus Portugal in Group B and Spain will win that comfortably, 2-0, 3-0.

I expect Germany and Brazil will coast through Groups F and E. In fact all the big boys should make the latter stages with one or two dark horses.

And lets hope England will be one of them.

[Stan Collymore]

Stan Collymore

Former Liverpool and England striker now Mirror columnist

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