Gareth Southgate ready to play it cool at World Cup draw

England manager Gareth Southgate has promised to deploy his best poker face during today’s World Cup draw in Moscow regardless of who the Three Lions must play next summer.

The draw, which is being co-presented by 1986 World Cup golden boot and Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, starts at 3pm Irish time today, with Russian president Vladimir Putin expected to be among the audience at the Kremlin’s State Palace.

Four years ago in Brazil, the former Football Association chairman Greg Dyke was caught on camera making a throat-cut gesture when England were drawn with Costa Rica, Italy, and Uruguay. It was an embarrassing gaffe but proved to be prescient when England crashed out of the 2014 tournament in record time.