Friday 1 June 2018 23:02, UK
Gareth Southgate has told his England players there are still World Cup places to play for against Nigeria on Saturday.
The England boss is getting his first chance to see his 23-man squad in match action against another World Cup side ahead of their tournament opener against Tunisia on June 18.
Southgate has confirmed Jesse Lingard will start against Nigeria but insists that does not mean it will be a straight battle between the Manchester United forward and Tottenham's Dele Alli for a starting berth in Russia.
Another key position yet to be decided is who will start as goalkeeper, with Jordan Pickford and Jack Butland vying for the number one role ahead of the uncapped Nick Pope.
"I don't think these are trial matches in that a bad performance rules someone out, but there are opportunities for people to really stake a claim in areas of the pitch where there is huge competition for places," Southgate said.
When asked about who is likely to start in goal, Southgate added: "That will become apparent over the next five days.
"They are inexperienced in terms of senior international games but Pickford and Butland have the perfect path in terms of junior international tournaments and a lot of Premier League football under their belts."
