Sergio Ramos hopes to celebrate his 160th Spain appearance with victory over England and qualification for the Nations League finals today, reports Press Association.Spain won 2-1 at Wembley last month in Luis Enrique’s first game as head coach and a victory in Seville would see Spain triumph in League A Group 4. But Ramos yesterday refused to underestimate Gareth Southgate’s World Cup semi-finalists.
The Real Madrid defender, who is in sight of Iker Casillas’ national record of 167 appearances, told a media conference: “We know that England’s level of difficulty is tremendous.
“We have a great team in front of us, despite the good game we played at Wembley, they had an excellent World Cup, semi-finalists with a lot of personality.“They have attacking players that hurt a lot and we are going to try and keep (Harry) Kane from scoring, because it will be good for us.”
On his personal landmark, Ramos said: “It is gratifying to spend so long in the national team.“It fills me with strength and motivates me to continue beating records.”
Spain endured a disappointing World Cup, losing in the last-16 to hosts Russia on penalties. But confidence has been restored by recent results, including Thursday’s 4-1 win over Wales in Cardiff.Enrique said: “What gives us the mathematical classification is victory.
“We will try to overcome a very difficult opponent who is doing things very well.“I like Southgate as a coach. They always try to play the ball. He’s adapted to his players, something we all have to do. I followed him and I like the way he plays football.
“He has just renewed (his contract, until 2022) and that means they trust him – and he has helped me learn English with his press conferences.”Enrique is wary of England’s set-piece strength, adding: “We must be vigilant and ensure that we generate the least possible occasions (for set-pieces).”
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