SARINA WIEGMAN will not be letting friendship get in the way of her determination to guide England to victory over Emma Hayes’ USA.
The duo go toe-to-toe as coaches for the first time tomorrow when the Lionesses face the United States at Wembley.
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The 5:20pm Saturday clash will be Hayes’ first homecoming as USA chief this year.
She began her role in June, after ending her reign as Chelsea boss leading the Blues to a seventh WSL title.
Tomorrow’s fixture follows Hayes, 48, steering her US stars to a gold medal win at the Paris Olympics in August.
And with the team unbeaten in 11 games since Hayes took charge, Wiegman is ready to give her rival her first taste of international defeat.
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The Lioness chief, 55, said: “Emma and I used to collaborate, but now we’re opponents and I’m really looking forward to that.
“With friends, you really want to beat them, maybe even more than if they’re not your friends.
“We play at Wembley, there’s going to be around 85,000 people there, plus the USA won at the Olympics, so it’s really exciting.”
The Lionesses’ clash with the United States will be the first time the teams have faced each other since England’s 2-1 victory two years ago in October.
Since then the Lionesses reached a World Cup final for the first time last summer, falling to a 1-0 loss to Spain.
Results for both sides in the last international window have been in contrast.
While Hayes’ players saw off Iceland and Argentina with 3-1 and 3-0 wins, Wiegman’s team suffered a 4-3 loss to Germany before defeating South Africa 2-1.
And though the USA have been the victors in 12 of their 19 duels with England, full-back Lucy Bronze believes the rivalry between both sides is respectful.
The Lioness, who is a Fifa 2024 women’s player of the year nominee, added: “As much as there is a rivalry, there is that level of respect.
“You get that when you have a rivalry with two teams that get to the highest level.
“As an English team we’ve always understood that the US have had to do so much to get to where they are,
“That’s something we really admire in them and something that they’ve inspired us to do as an England team after winning the Euros.
“We’re rivals, we’re a community but at the same time we still want to beat each other.
“With England and America, it’s always that high level of rivalry but also respect.”
With more than 83,000 fans expected at Wembley, Hayes was asked her thoughts on how the women’s game is currently faring here compared to across the pond.
However the USA chief believes the sport in both locations should be celebrated equally.
The USA chief said: “It’s fair to say that both countries are committed to women’s sport and developing the women’s game.
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“As always, we talk about the things we need to keep doing to improve it, but I think we need to celebrate how far we’ve come.
“Having 80,000 paying fans to watch a great match-up is, again, not just a sign of progress, but shows that the Lionesses are sustaining a lot.
“It’s about celebrating both countries and celebrating the work that’s being done, as opposed to picking it apart.”
