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Jordan Pickford: 'Building momentum is key for England'

Pickford: 'Building momentum is key'
© Reuters
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford insists that beating Belgium on Thursday night is the only thing his side are thinking about.

Jordan Pickford has targeted victory over Belgium on Thursday evening to keep England's feel-good factor alive at the World Cup.

The Three Lions have won two games from two in Group G, following up their late 2-1 triumph against Tunisia with a far more comfortable 6-1 dismantling of Panama.

England head into their final group outing knowing that finishing second to Belgium may benefit them more, as they will likely avoid any of the true competition heavyweights in the next two rounds.

Pickford is in no doubt that victory is the only target for his side, however, as he wants the momentum to continue building into the last 16.

"Our mentality is to win every game we play - and we want to win every game," he told reporters. "I feel that if we win every game it just keeps building momentum to keep going in the tournament.

"We know Belgium are a tough opponent and we need to be on our A-game to get the win. I feel our squad want to win every game so we can't be looking into [finishing second].

"It was a bit disappointing not to get a clean sheet against Panama, but it is a team performance and six goals, five in the first half, was an unbelievable performance.

"As defenders, goalkeepers, as a whole team, we want to keep clean sheets and I think the further we go in the tournament, clean sheets win games and that is our mentality."

Pickford is among those who may be rested against Belgium, with Jack Butland and Nick Pope pushing for inclusion.

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