MX23RW : Monday, November 25 22:56:20| >> :120:24854:24854:

Chris Smalling ready for England opportunity

Chris Smalling says that he wants to make the most of the opportunity of starting for England in their final World Cup match against Costa Rica this evening.

Chris Smalling has said that he is determined to make the most of the opportunity of starting for England in their final match of the World Cup against Costa Rica this evening.

Roy Hodgson's side have been knocked out of the competition in the group stages after losing their first two matches, which has prompted the Three Lions boss to shuffle his pack ahead of their final match in Group D.

Manchester United player Smalling, who will partner Gary Cahill in the centre of defence, hopes that England will put on a show for the fans in Belo Horizonte.

"All the way through I have been able to take part in the training sessions and give my all. If the opportunity comes on Tuesday then I will grab it," he told the Football Association's official website.

"There are a lot of young and exciting players coming through and that core will carry on going into Tuesday.

"That will be shown and hopefully we can put some smiles back on people's faces after the disappointment. Going into the European Championship qualifiers, there is a good squad that we can really build on together."

England were last eliminated from the group stages of a World Cup in 1958.

ID:161550: cacheID:161550:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2536:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
 Luis Suarez of Uruguay scores his team's second goal against Gary Cahill of England during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Group D match  on June 19, 2014
Read Next:
Match Analysis: Uruguay 2-1 England
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Fulham125341717018
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle125341313018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham124351519-415
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!