The atmosphere in Kaliningrad is building ahead of tonight’s crucial final group game between England and Belgium as fans of both countries arrive in the Russian city.
Gareth Southgate’s men will finish top with a draw providing they end the game with a better disciplinary record than their rivals, who have scored and conceded the same amount of goals as the Three Lions.
But with both teams already assured of their places in the last 16, supporters were in good spirits as they settled in and mixed freely in the fan zone ahead of kick-off.
A group of England fans hold a St George’s flag in Kaliningrad ahead of the final group game against Belgium on Thursday
Rivalries were put to one side in the fan zone (left) as a Belgium supporter wears a red devil mask after arriving in the city
A passionate England fan shows off his tattoos in the sun ahead of Thursday’s crucial Group G decider at the World Cup
Three England fans enjoy a beer in Kaliningrad, the capital of the Russian province of the same name
A group of QPR supporters proudly displayed their ‘R’s on tour’ St George’s flag, while female fans of England and Belgium posed for pictures together.
One Three Lions follower took the opportunity to whip his top off and show his England tattoo, with others grabbing replica World Cups as thoughts already begin to turn towards the knockout stages.
Another Belgium fan was pictured wearing a red devil mask – a reference to the country’s nickname – as he walked through the city, while another had his face painted black, yellow and red.
England’s fans are in positive mood following Sunday’s 6-1 thrashing of Panama and that optimism was clear to see as one fan hung a flag with the phrase ‘It’s coming home’ emblazoned upon it.
A fan shows off his Belgium-inspired face paint as he poses with two friends ahead of Thursday’s big game in Kaliningrad
A group of Queens Park Rangers supporters show off their ‘R’s on tour’ flag as they soak up the atmosphere ahead of kick-off
One England fan gets his hands on a replica World Cup as he poses with a Belgium supporter and a fellow Englishman
The ground is covered in England flags as supporters make their presence felt ahead of the Group G decider
However, those in attendance at Kaliningrad Stadium may not get to see two full-strength teams on show with both Southgate and Martinez set to make a host of changes.
It’s understood that each manager could bring up to nine different players into their starting XIs, with Romelu Lukaku ruled out through injury for Belgium and Harry Kane’s place in doubt.
There have been suggestions that finishing second in the group would be an advantage in the knockout rounds – particularly the quarter-final – but Southgate has promised to try and make it three wins from three games.
Another supporter attaches a flag to the outside of a bar with the message ‘It’s coming home’ proudly displayed
The Three Lions are proudly displayed on the back of one England fan as the sun beats down near the Baltic Coast
Belgium fans sing and dance as they get ready to watch a pressure-free game against England on Thursday evening
England fans will travel on to Rostov-On-Don or Moscow for their last 16 game, depending on the result against Belgium
He said: ‘We need to keep winning. We want to breed a mentality that everyone in our squad wants to constantly win.
‘We’ve not won a knockout game since 2006. So starting to plot which would be a better venue for our semi-final is beyond me, really.
‘Best to focus on this game. We’re building a team everyone back home can see are passionate to play for England. I’m looking forward to seeing us play again.’