'it Was Inevitable' - Mead On Facing Partner Miedema At Euro 2025

"It was inevitable," England guardant Beth Mead sighs.

"When nan [Euros] tie was made, we some sat location and said 'of people that's happened!'"

She is talking astir her woman Vivianne Miedema, nan Netherlands and Manchester City forward, and nan truth nan Lionesses person been drawn against nan Dutch successful group D astatine nan European Championship successful Switzerland.

The tourney kicks disconnected connected Wednesday and nan mates are group to look each different successful Zurich connected 9 July, pinch nan lucifer shown unrecorded connected nan BBC.

"We're some very, very competitory and professional. We're some excited for nan tourney and to beryllium capable to play successful it again," Arsenal guardant Mead added.

The couple, who person been successful a narration since 2022, person each enjoyed Euros success, pinch Miedema winning it successful 2017 and Mead 5 years later.

They some missed nan 2023 World Cup aft suffering anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries wrong a period of each different astatine nan extremity of 2022.

Both person battled backmost to afloat fittingness for Euro 2025. They regularly pass pinch 1 different but shot chat is strictly limited.

"We support successful interaction but erstwhile it gets person to our games, we don't talk shot whatsoever," Mead adds.

"Obviously we want each different to do good but not against each other!"

One taxable they do talk a batch astir is their canine Myle, whom they welcomed into their family erstwhile they were recovering from their ACL injuries.

Mead has been fortunate arsenic Myle (pronounced My-lee) was allowed to enactment pinch her during England's preparations astatine St George's Park.

"She's for illustration our small mini-mascot," Mead said of Myle, a moving cocker spaniel.

"The girls and unit emotion her. It's been awesome to person her here."

Myle has had nary shortage of offers for cuddles and walks and became nan unintended prima of a caller Lionesses photoshoot, besides making an quality connected a podcast.

But she will not beryllium making her measurement to Euro 2025 and will alternatively beryllium looked aft by a canine sitter.

"I'm going to miss her a batch and Viv already misses her," Mead says.

She scored six goals for England astatine Euro 2022 and was named subordinate of nan tournament.

Now 30, Mead believes nan squad are much than tin of retaining their title.

"Obviously nan team's changed rather a bit," she said. "We've had retirements, we've had different players travel in, young players coming to their first tournament, but I deliberation we've sewage a very bully blend astatine nan moment.

"We're going location to triumph - that's our objective. We cognize we've sewage a target connected our backmost but now we've sewage to consistently execute astatine our highest level which we cognize we've very overmuch tin of doing."