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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Sarah Rendell

Jose Mourinho makes Old Trafford atmosphere claim ahead of England vs Denmark

Jose Mourinho says England need an atmosphere similar to Old Trafford to overcome Denmark in their Euro 2020 semi-final.

Gareth Southgate's team will face the Danes on Wednesday at Wembley in front of 60,000 supporters and if fans are in full voice Mourinho believes England could win the clash.

The former Manchester United boss knows the club's home ground well and the pundit says Wembley need to replicate the support heard at the stadium.

He told The Sun : "England need the atmosphere you get at Old Trafford in the last 15 minutes of a tight match when, even if Manchester United aren’t playing well, the supporters always believe.

Jose Mourinho believes Wembley need to replicate Old Trafford's atmosphere (2018 Getty Images)

"Everyone should bring the best characteristics of their own club’s support and throw it behind the England team.

"Because Denmark are dangerous and if England are not England — compact, patient, pragmatic — then they can suffer."

England have so far played all bar one match at the home of English football, their 4-0 quarter-final win over Ukraine was competed in Baku, and the fans have inspired the stars to put on an unbeaten display so far.

The Three Lions are yet to concede a goal at the tournament and they will look to continue the feat in their semi.

If England manage to defeat Denmark they will reach their first Euro 2020 final and Southgate believes his side can make history.

He said: “We've had to suffer a bit to get to where we are.

"We've had difficult nights, some tough performances, but we're now playing with a lot of belief and I think the players can see what's possible. We still have a long way to go and we're not satisfied.

"Saturday was another enjoyable night for everybody but I've got to say before the end of the game I was already thinking about the next challenge and that's the one for us. We've never been to a European Championship final so it's another opportunity to make history.

Southgate says his side can make history on Wednesday (PA)

"It's not so much pressure for this team, it's another challenge that they have the chance to take on. At the moment they're rising to those challenges.”

And while England may feel confident, Denmark feel they can also get the win.

The Danes' manager Kasper Hjulmand has insisted they are not the underdogs in the knock-out fixture.

He said: “We are in a phase now with the national team that we are moving away from being the underdog all the time.

“We try to take the initiative regardless of who our opponents are. We try to be proactive and score goals. I don’t like the underdog mentality. Our mindset is not like an underdog. We are out to create chances and attack. We have the mentality that we can go out and beat whoever we are playing.

“There is a lot of pressure on the English team compared to us. We can and will use this opportunity with everything we have got. They will be helped by the fans but there is also enormous pressure on them because everyone expects them to beat us.”

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