Alex Scott: England don't fear anyone in Canada
England defender Alex Scott has told FourFourTwo the Three Lionesses fear no one ahead of the 2015 Women’s World Cup.
Mark Sampson’s side face France, Colombia and Mexico in Group F of the Canadian showpiece, kicking off their campaign on June 9 against the French, who knocked England out of the last World Cup on penalties.
And after winning all 10 of their qualifying matches en route to the finals, scoring 52 goals and conceding just the one, Arsenal full-back Scott insists the squad is brimming with confidence as they had across the Atlantic.
Speaking exclusively in the July 2015 issue of FourFourTwo - out now - she says: “Canada are going to be a threat on home soil - or astroturf! A lot of people are talking about France, and Germany and the USA will also be major challengers. We’re really confident in ourselves, though. We don’t fear anyone.
“There’s quality everywhere. Mark could have picked any number of players in his final 23 - narrowing this squad down must have been a nightmare. The competition for places really pushes everyone on.”
Popularity in the women’s game continues to soar, and the 30-year-old with 123 caps to her name hopes England can take plenty of inspiration from Team GB's showings at the 2012 London Olympics. Scott featured in a famous 1-0 victory over Brazil in front of more than 70,000 people at Wembley Stadium.
“That was a special time for women’s football in this country and we want to build on the momentum,” she says. “If we can capture the imagination of the public again, that can provide a huge boost for the women’s game."
Read the full interview with Alex Scott in the July 2015 issue of FourFourTwo, which features more exclusive chats with Women’s World Cup stars. Also in the magazine: Neymar tells us how he plans to reboot Brazil and take the perfect selfie, Gary Lineker answers your One-on-One questions, 33 reasons why the Copa America will be better than the World Cup are revealed, and five Blighty-born boys who have already flown west to the MLS describe what Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard can expect Stateside. Available in print, on iPad and iPhone now. Subscribe!
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Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.