Thomas Tuchel says Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson have already warned England’s players about the hostility they will face in Belgrade tonight, as the Three Lions prepare for a daunting clash with Serbia at the Rajko Mitic Stadium.
The England manager revealed that his captain and the former Liverpool midfielder had been vocal in sharing their experiences of the Serbian capital, with Kane in particular recalling the hostility he faced when Tottenham travelled to Red Star Belgrade in 2019.
Tuchel believes those messages are crucial for a squad that includes several players who have never faced an atmosphere of this intensity.
“Jordan will have a voice in the team. Harry has played here. They have talked already about it,” Tuchel said.
Thomas Tuchel says Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson have already warned England’s players about the hostility they will face in Belgrade tonight, as the Three Lions prepare for a daunting clash with Serbia at the Rajko Mitic Stadium
|PA
“The spectators will be emotional, they will be loud, but the stands are quite a distance from the pitch and we will cope.
"Our young players are not afraid of anything. The group was excellent throughout the week and everyone deserves to play.
"We have some difficult choices and some narrow decisions to make. We will have a strong bench and age is not decisive.”
Kane, who was part of the Tottenham side that defeated Red Star 4-0 at the same stadium, has warned his team-mates that even the walk from the dressing rooms can feel daunting.
The tunnel stretches 240 metres through the bowels of the ground, with armed police lining the route.
“I’ve been to Serbia before, we played Red Star at this stadium with Tottenham,” said Kane.
“It was a pretty hostile environment — just the walk from the changing room to the pitch. It feels like a mile-long walk.
"There’s a lot of fans, you hear a lot of noise, a lot of banging.
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Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson are two of England's most-experienced players
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"Sometimes when you get through these types of games together, especially as a newish team, like we are, that’s how you build experiences, build togetherness.”
Kane added that such fixtures are vital in shaping a squad’s character, even if they prove far from comfortable.
“The ideal situation would be to have a comfortable game and win but we know that’s not always the case, so there might be times we have to stick together, to defend as a team and ultimately find a way to win," he continued.
"When you do that against these types of oppositions in these stadiums, I feel that builds an extra layer of togetherness you can’t form without matches like this.”
Tuchel, who has faced criticism after five lacklustre performances since taking charge, believes the occasion can lift England to a higher level.
“The fans, the occasion and opponent will bring out the best from us and I’m looking forward to it,” stated the German.
"The tunnel is not so agreeable. But that’s what it’s all about now.
"Serbia are so talented and determined. That’s the beauty of it and if you want to go to a World Cup and to play for the national team, experiencing this is the beauty.
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"The Champions League is the same. This is one of these nights. Lights are on. Big crowd and an emotional sportive country. And we’re up for it.”
UEFA has already ordered that 15 per cent of the stadium remain closed after previous racist incidents involving Serbian fans, including attempts to burn an Albanian flag.
While that history hangs heavily over the fixture, Kane said he thrives in intimidating away environments, citing recent trips to Marseille with Tottenham and to Galatasaray with Bayern Munich as examples where he has relished silencing hostile crowds.
“Sometimes you come away — especially when you win those type of games — with an even better feeling, so hopefully we can do that here,” he said.