England vs Wales: Wiegman says Lionesses ‘don’t want a fighting game’ in Euro 2025 rivalry clash

Sarina Wiegman says England have to make sure their Euro 2025 derby against Wales does not become a “fighting game” and urged the Lionesses to focus on their own performance in order to reach the quarter-finals.

The Lionesses campaign was sparked into life with a 4-0 win over the Netherlands on Wednesday, with a win over tournament debutants and British rivals Wales set to secure their place in the last eight.

Wales are all but out of the competition and need a 4-0 victory to stand any chance of qualification but have been talking up how big a game it is against their neighbours.

But Lionesses boss Wiegman has urged her players to keep their heads and focus on the task at hand.

“I hope we will see a game where we have a lot of the ball and we play very good in possession, so we don’t let it become a fighting game,” Wiegman said.

Asked if she was concerned by an overly physical game, Wiegman said: “I am not worried. I think Wales are very compact and they can fight and are really together but also when they have the ball they can play direct.

“We are trying to prevent that, and the best way is to be good on the ball yourself and move the ball quickly to exploit the spaces.

“For them it is a big game but for us it is too. We want to win and get through the group stage.

“There is passion but we have passion too. We want to be really focused and good on the ball. We have to be patient.”

Ready to battle 👊

🗣️ Sarina Wiegman on what to expect against Wales… pic.twitter.com/psTmZHLErh

— Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 12, 2025

England recovered from an opening-game defeat to France with an impressive performance while under pressure against the Dutch and Wiegman is confident the Lionesses will apply themselves in a similar way against Wales.

“We have our own preparation and we know what is on the line and we will do everything to win the game and get through,” Wiegman added.

“There is always pressure on England and we will try and play a good game and hopefully we can have the ball a lot and exploit spaces. I learned about the history and the rivalry but we are focused on what we want to do and how we want to play.

“We have to move the ball quickly and be patient. We have also seen that Wales are compact and sometimes higher up the pitch too. We expect everything and we will try to break that down.”