Locations are key for Hodgson

02 December 2013 15:17

England manager Roy Hodgson insists location rather than opposition is the biggest concern for him as he awaits Friday's 2014 World Cup draw.

Hodgson will learn when and where England's group stage matches will be played when the draw takes place in Salvador, Brazil.

The Three Lions are unseeded, so they are guaranteed to face one of the teams in the top pot of seeds which includes Brazil, Spain, Germany and Argentina.

But Hodgson believes, in a country as vast as Brazil, that where games take place will be just as vital as who they will be against.

"I think (the draw) is a time when speculation is rife and people have a lot of fun looking at the potential possibilities," said Hodgson, who was speaking at a press conference organised by FA sponsors Mars.

"It is a nice game to play but I have got to say that I have not involved myself too much in that, we will get what we get really, the most important thing is to be there.

"Then you always hope that the draw is going to be kind to you in terms of where you are going to be asked to play. There are venues in Brazil that will be harder to play in than others.

"Maybe in terms of the teams you are drawn against, some on paper look harder than others but I'm more concerned if anything by the venues than by the teams we draw.

"All discussion about teams and their strengths is based, not on speculation, but we don't know.

"We don't know how good Argentina are, we would all think 'blimey, Argentina are strong' but we don't know that.

"They might be no stronger than Chile. The good thing is that if we get Argentina, for example, we will be there and have a chance to play them and believe we can go out and beat them."

Source: PA