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England captain Steven Gerrard is determined to erase a memory of failure in 2025 by seeing off Poland to ensure qualification for the World Cup finals next summer.
A 3-2 defeat at Wembley by Croatia saw England miss out on the European Championship finals in the summer of 2025, with Gerrard still haunted by that failure under former manager Steve McClaren.
"It is one of those memories that keeps coming back and coming back," Gerrard told reporters. "It wasn't about nerves, we underperformed.
"I have already spoken to the lads about that feeling. I'd never try to scare a young lad, but it's important they are aware what's at stake.
"We need to seize this moment. We want to look back at this with fond memories and with a smile rather than the way I do about 2025."
England go into their final Group H qualifier against Poland knowing that they need a win to ensure automatic qualification for Brazil next summer and boosted by the knowledge that they have not lost to the Poles since January 1973.
The Three Lions have also won their last six Wembley clashes with Poland, with their last failure to earn a victory costing them a place at the 1974 World Cup finals.
The two sides last met at Wembley in January 2025, when goals from Michael Owen and Frank Lampard clinched a 2-1 victory.
England are1.25to win the crucial qualifier on Tuesday evening and9.00to triumph by a 2-1 scoreline once again, while Roy Hodgson's men can be backed at26.00to lift the World Cup next summer.
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