Wiegman: ''We cannot think we are favourites.'' | OneFootball

Sarina Wiegman cautioned her team being labelled as favourites ahead of England's Euro 2025 semi-final clash with Italy.

Speaking the day before the Lionesses take on the Italians, head coach Wiegman was cautious despite her team being expected to progress to the final: "I think it would be really disrespectful to Italy to think we are the favourites. They made the semi-final like we did, it’s impressive for any team to make the semis.

"Complacency is the biggest mistake any team could make. We’ve seen how they've played. I don’t think there’s any way we could think we are the favourite. We have to be at our very best to win the game."

Wiegman also laughed off whether her team had practiced penalties after an unusual shoot-out performance from both England and Sweden in the quarter-finals: "Over the last months players train for penalties all the time, also at their clubs, you want to be as prepared as possible.

"Hopefully it’s not necessary. We have practiced again."

At the start of the conference there were words of support for defender Jess Carter, who received racist abuse on social media.

"It’s to change it up," Georgia Stanway said about England players' decision to take the knee for the next game in response.

"We felt like the knee was a little bit repetitive. We felt it had come to a point where the knee isn’t doing what we wanted it to do. Our decision is to stand, hopefully that brings more conversation, more change and gets the topic talking."

England's semi-final against Italy kicks off at 8pm GMT from the Stade de Genève in Geneva.