Sarina Wiegman on Wales rivalry and England star Lauren James | OneFootball

England head coach Sarina Wiegman says there is ‘always pressure on England’ but expects her side to be at their best in the Euros group stage decider against Wales.

The Lionesses face their final fixture of Group D on Sunday night, where a win in St Gallen against British rivals Wales will book their spot in the knockouts.

England will hope to draw inspiration from the comprehensive 4-0 victory over the Netherlands that saw them revive their hopes of retaining the Women’s Euros crown.

“There’s always pressure on England when we make it to a competition,” Wiegman said, speaking in St Gallen ahead of Sunday’s match. “We expect from ourselves that we’re going to play a good game.

“I learned a little bit about the history and the rivalry, but we focus on what have to do and how we want to play and find a way how to win.

“We have our own preparation, and we know also what’s on the line. We can do everything to win the game, because we want to get through.

“We need to be tight on the ball, let the ball move, and hopefully we have the ball a lot and we can exploit the spaces.

“The tension is building up again, because we play again tomorrow. I think players will be together and having conversations on and off pitch. Then of course you have to perform again, and that’s showing in the good results.

One player that England will be hoping is at her best will be Chelsea star Lauren James, who bagged a brace as the Lionesses put four past the Netherlands on matchday two of Euro 2025.

The head coach praised James, shedding light on just how important her character is to the team.

“I rate her very highly as I do many other players in my team,” she said. “She’s a very good player. She’s playing through her strengths, and she’s doing that really well.

“The team is supporting her really well, and she’s supporting the team too. I think that’s what it’s all about. Off the pitch, she is just herself.”

During the tournament, the head coach has stressed the importance of ‘gamechangers’, meaning those players coming off the bench to make an impact.

England will need all 23 players to be raring to go if they are to progress far in the campaign, something Wiegman placed high importance on.

“Some players get opportunities to play and others need to be ready,” Wiegman said. “So it’s a professional environment, and what I expect from them is that they are ready when needed for the team in whatever role that is.

“Of course sometimes you check in to see how they are. Communication is very, very important, because things need to be as clear as possible.

“It’s good to give clarity and to give context at moments. But of course as human being, I’ve developed too, so I think I do that a little bit better than I did that 15 years ago.”