‘It’s going to be tough’ – Manchester City legend Yaya Toure unsure how far England will go in Qatar as he backs Brazil or Argentina to win World Cup

Yaya Toure believes England could be set for a ‘tough’ World Cup as he only backed them to get out of the group.

The Manchester City legend is unsure how far Gareth Southgate‘s men will go in Qatar, as he stated he believes a South American nation could triumph.

Getty

England kick off their World Cup campaign against Iran on Monday, before potentially problematic matches against America and Wales.

Should the Three Lions top Group B, they will play the runners-up from Group A, which is comprised of Netherlands, Senegal, Ecuador and hosts Qatar.

And if they get to the quarter-finals, they could come up against defending champions France or Argentina, with the likes of Brazil, Portugal and Spain a possible semi-final opponent.

As a result of their tough route to the final, Toure isn’t confident that England will win their second major tournament since the World Cup in 1966.

The 39-year-old told talkSPORT: “It’s going to be tough. In the group stage they can go through, 100 per cent, I believe.

“But after that, the reality is in the field. They just have to commit, be 100 per cent, because it’s not going to be easy at all.

Getty

“You will see up there, you’re going to see a lot of different countries coming there just to try and enjoy and represent their country.

“I think it’s going to look like a duty for them and it’s maybe going to get tough for England.

“I’m confident in the first stage they maybe can go through, but after that, it can become tough.”

Pressed on who he is backing to lift the trophy, he said: “I’ve always fancied good teams and Brazil has always been the favourite of all the tournaments.

Getty

Southgate’s men go into the global tournament as one of the favourites[/caption]

“Any tournament or World Cup they’ve played in, they’ve always been the favourites.

“I want a European team to win, but to be honest with you, the South American [countries] are looking really, really scary.

“Argentina recently, they’ve been winning, they won the Copa America.

“They are in good form, good coach, [Lionel] Messi’s up there.

“He’ll want to make a statement, Brazil as well, it’s going to be tough.”