England will stand up to challenge of hostile crowds in Poland: Southgate

Gareth Southgate insists England will be prepared for another hostile atmosphere when they travel to Warsaw to face Poland.

England have enjoyed a productive international break thus far, coasting past Hungary and Andorra by an aggregate score of 8-0 to make it five wins in five games.

Last Thursday in Budapest, England players were subjected to racist abuse by the crowd, Raheem Sterling being the main target as he celebrated his opener.

Southgate expects a tough test on Wednesday, with five of the last seven games on Polish soil finishing as a draw between these two sides. "We have to approach the game as we did the other night," said the England boss. We know keeping possession of the ball can be a big factor in managing those situations. "But the flow of the game will be different and we are playing a level of opponent who I think is in a better moment. They have won their last two games and have good footballers in the team who will keep the ball a little bit better than Hungary were able to against us.

"Then there is a balance of not inflaming situations and giving a home crowd something to live off and get behind the team more. That's the balance and experience. I'm sure our players will manage that no problem."

Poland have failed to beat the Three Lions in their last 17 attempts and Southgate appreciates the visitors can take control of their World Cup qualification destiny.

"It's a big opportunity for us, we can take a really positive step to the World Cup if we win in Warsaw," he continued. "There's a high level of motivation, but we're also guarding against any feeling that we're better than we are. The team is playing well and we have a squad, any of whom are more than comfortable coming into the side and playing well when they come into the team. But those moments can be dangerous if we get any sense of complacency, then we're going into a game where we can be really challenged."