Express & Star

England fans ready to roar Gareth Southgate's young lions into World Cup final

England will come to a standstill tonight for the biggest football match in 28 years.

Published

Gareth Southgate’s Lions will face Croatia in the World Cup semi-final – in front of a record TV audience, expected to hit more than 37 million.

If that happens, it will break the existing record for a sporting event - 32 million for the 1966 World Cup final.

Traffic on roads across Shropshire will drop to a trickle as people tune in to watch the massive game.

When is the match?

The semi-final between England and Croatia will take place at the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, starting at 7pm.

The match is being screened on ITV from 6pm. The winner will face France in Sunday's final, after they beat Belgium 1-0 last night.

Gareth Southgate has faith in players

On the eve of the match, Gareth Southgate expressed pride in the unifying power of England’s World Cup adventure and said he has faith that his team will perform against Croatia.

“Football is a low scoring game with random events that can happen, but I’m certain our team will play well," the manager said.

Who’s who in our England Expects photo?

How many Midlands England heroes can you name? Scroll down for the answers

Top row, left to right:

  • Jimmy Mullen, England 1947-54, Caps: 12, Goals: 6, Club: Wolves

  • Steve Bull, England 1989-90, Caps: 13, Goals: 4, Club: Wolves

  • Jake Livermore, England 2012-17, Caps: 7, Goals: 0, Club: Albion

  • Gareth Southgate, England 1995-2002, Caps: 57, Goals: 2, Club: Villa

  • David Platt, England 1989-96, Caps: 62, Goals: 27, Club: Villa

  • Gareth Barry, England 2000-12, Caps: 53, Goals: 3, Clubs: Villa, Albion

  • Bert Williams, England 1949-55, Caps: 24, Goals: 0, Club: Wolves

Middle row, left to right:

  • Ben Foster, England 2007-14, Caps: 8, Goals: 0, Club: Albion

  • Billy Wright, England 1946-59, Caps: 105, Goals: 3, Club: Wolves

  • Stan Cullis, England 1937-39, Caps: 12, Goals: 0, Club: Wolves

  • Duncan Edwards, England 1955-57, Caps: 18, Goals: 5, Club: Manchester United

  • Gordon Cowans, England 1983-90, Caps: 10, Goals: 2, Club: Villa

  • Bryan Robson, England 1980-91, Caps: 90, Goals: 26, Club: Albion

  • Ron Flowers, England 1955-66, Caps: 49, Goals: 10, Club: Wolves

Bottom row, left to right:

  • Bill Slater, England 1954-60, Caps: 12, Goals: 0, Club: Wolves

  • Cyrille Regis, England 1982-87, Caps: 5, Goals: 0, Club: Albion, Villa, Wolves

  • Jeff Astle, England 1969-70, Caps: 5, Goals: 0, Club: Albion

  • Bobby Robson, England 1957-62, Caps: 20, Goals: 4, Club: Albion