England captain Wayne Rooney has urged England to show "resilience" against Russia in their opening Euro 2016 game on Saturday.
Roy Hodgson's side take on the Russians in Marseille, with Rooney telling a news conference he believed they were "capable of big things."
He added: "We know how important the first game is. It is important to get off to a good start.
"We've talked about that as a group of players, and we are ready for the game.
"You can feel the buzz around the place. We have a very talented squad that is capable of big things.
It's a big challenge for us as a squad and we believe we can do well."
Coach Hodgson told the news conference that the opening match "cannot come soon enough."
"We hope people back home will like what they see," he added. "But we will always have to live with the fact that it's 50 years since we won a tournament and 20 years since we got to a semifinal."
He said England "have a lot of respect to the Russian team," who "have been used to playing together for a long time."
Meanwhile, Rooney hit back at claims in the Russian media that he is not the player he used to be.
The 30-year-old, his country's all-time leading goal scorer, said: "I know the qualities I have."
At a news conference in France, a Russian journalist suggested to Rooney that opponents do not fear him as much as they did.
But the Manchester United star said: "Everyone who watches football is entitled to opinions.
"I know the qualities I have, and I don't need to sit here and defend myself.
"I'm aware that my game has changed slightly over the years, and in my opinion it has changed for the better, but the opinions that matter to me are those of my coaches.
"Over the last few months I have played midfield for Manchester United. I always feel with my football intelligence I can play there and further my career there."