Sven: I want to see fire!

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England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson today hailed the start of the World Cup with a message to his players: "England expects fire."

As the tournament kicked off with the opening ceremony and first game in South Korea, he said: "On Sunday, when we play Sweden, I want to see fire and I want to see everything.

"It is a very difficult game, Sweden are very difficult to beat. I think we are prepared. We are ready. It is the World Cup and the players are hungry and I am hungry. There will be more fire from the players than we saw in the recent friendlies, I am sure of that", he said.

Eriksson,who confirmed the fitness of all his squad of 23, including David Beckham and Kieron Dyer, said: "I want to win my first World Cup game. I am not nervous today. Maybe I will be a few hours before the game on Sunday. But this is my biggest game.

"Of course, it's pressure on the squad and the team. It is much better to have that pressure than not to have it. If you don't have that pressure, it means you are not a manager of a good football team."

Eriksson is looking forward to vociferous backing from England's travelling fans. "I think we have a lot of supporters coming over here. To have supporters supporting you during a game is always very important."

England's game against Sweden kicks off at 10.30am on Sunday.

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