Eric Dier is hoping England Under-21s’ winning momentum can help them seal a spot in next summer’s Finals.
The Three Lions take a 2-1 lead into the second leg of the tie in Croatia on Tuesday evening after goals from Harry Kane and Luke Shaw gave Gareth Southgate’s side a slender advantage in Wolverhampton last Friday.
And after coming through their group qualifying stages with nine wins out of ten, Dier says the winning run has helped their focus.
Croatia v England
UEFA Euro 2015 Under-21 play-off
5pm, Tuesday 14 October
Vinkovci, Croatia
Live on BT Sport
“I think we’ve done everything the same as we did before in all of the other games which we’ve met up for,” said the Tottenham Hotspur defender.
“I think that’s good as we don’t want to add extra pressure.
“They’re two really big games but we’re treating everything the same as we did last time we prepared.”
Dier has been a regular in the Under-21s squad throughout the campaign and played his part on Friday as a substitute, making a crucial tackle late in the game to help England protect their lead.
Eric Dier competes for possession in training with Will Hughes
And with a trip to Czech Republic for the Finals just one result away, the former Sporting Lisbon man remains in no doubt about the importance of helping England qualify for what would be a record fifth successive Finals.
“It’s good playing all of these games now, but we do it to try and play in the tournament, which is the main thing,” he added.
“Any tournament is great for spirit, so going to the Under-21s Euros would be great for us.
“You learn a lot in tournament football so to have that experience would be good for us.”
The game in Vinkovci kicks-off at 5pm BST on Tuesday evening and you can watch the action live on BT Sport.
