Gareth Southgate confident ahead of England's Nations League draw
Semi-final draw to take place in Dublin on Monday afternoon
Sunday 2 December 2018 15:36, UK
England manager Gareth Southgate believes his side should be confident regardless of who they draw in the Nations League semi-finals.
After learning their opponents for Euro 2020 qualifying on Sunday, England will discover who they will face in next summer's inaugural Nations League Finals on Monday, with the draw live on Sky Sports News at 1:30pm.
Southgate's side, who reached the World Cup semi-finals earlier this year, will take on either Switzerland, the Netherlands or hosts Portugal in June.
"We're in a semi-final of a big competition so you don't get to pick and choose your opponent," Southgate said.
"Equally we're developing well as a team. We feel all of those matches throw up issues and difficulties but also we've got to be confident about how we're playing as well.
"The great thing is we've got a summer to look forward to with some important matches and some exciting nights for our fans and if you look at what the next two summers could be, that's a really exciting prospect."
England were given a seemingly straightforward path to Euro 2020 as they were drawn alongside the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Kosovo for a qualifying campaign that will begin in March.
Going on England's recent form, which saw them advance from a Nations League group containing Spain and Croatia, Southgate's side would expect to comfortably progress to the tournament, which will be held across 12 nations.
Much of England's success over the past 12 months has been built upon the selection of young players, and Southgate sees no need to alter his approach.
"When we look at what has happened since the World Cup finals, the competition for places has been as important as anything else," Southgate said.
"It's brought energy. It's brought young, hungry players into the group that the supporters have connected with.
"We've got some good players coming through so that element will continue. There are more good young players in our system and nobody can take their place for granted."
