Phil Jagielka eyes victory for England over Wales: ‘We’re only going out for a win’

Phil Jagielka of Everton (Getty Images)

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Phil Jagielka has stated that England have every intention of going to the Millennium Stadium to pick up all three points against Wales on Saturday.

The Three Lions currently lie second in Group G as they press to qualify for Euro 2012 and a victory against the Welsh will take them to the top of the table ahead of Montenegro on goal difference.

The Everton defender believes Wales have some quality players who will be a danger to Fabio Capello’s side and feels England will be under pressure to win the all-British clash.

He told reporters: “We’re only going out for a win, regardless of whether it takes us to the top of the group or not, as we need to pick up three points from every game that we play in.

“This is a local derby, with Wales not being far away, so there is a bit more pressure on us but three points is the only order of the day and hopefully that will be the case.

“They’ve still got some fantastic players and a good squad. Their new manager is trying to put his stamp on things and they’ll be up for it, but we want to come out on top.”
 
Jagielka believes that anything other than three points will not be good enough and thinks there will be more riding on this game than others in the group due to the rivalry between the two countries.

“There’s a bit of spice in the game and it’s one that we’re looking forward to playing,” he said. “When the draw came out, we were delighted to be going to Wales because we knew it would be a good game, not just for the neutral but also for the England fans.

“Both teams will be wound up and the fans will want a fast start, so I think there will be a bit of needle from the first whistle.

“We’ve just got to go out there and do a professional job.

“We can’t afford to take a draw so we need to go there for the win and get back on top of the table and stay there.”

The 28-year-old has identified Craig Bellamy as the main threat to England.

Jagielka added: “He’s fantastic and a good player on his day. He’s one player that we will be looking out for, so will be looking to keep him quiet as he’s a major goal threat.

“He has pace, can use both feet and scores fantastic goals, so we need to try and stamp that out.

“We’ve tried to be as positive as possible in all of our games though. I think we’ve started off well and given ourselves a decent base in the group, so we’re looking to kick on now against Wales.”