Lyndon Lynch's side open against Russia in the Netherlands on Sunday.

The England Cerebral Palsy squad will be in full tournament mode this weekend when their World Cup campaign kicks off in the Netherlands against Russia on Sunday.

Managed by Lyndon Lynch, the team departed English shores for the Netherlands earlier this week with the 7-a-side World Cup tournament acting as a qualifier for the Paralympics in London next summer.

Home nation CP players qualify automatically for the Paralympics under the Great Britain banner but The FA’s Head of Disability Football, Jeff Davis, confirmed that the England squad is totally focused on the World Cup competition: “It’s been raining since we arrived in Holland but training has gone very well and everyone seems to be relaxed, happy and looking forward to the tournament," he said.

“Everyone wants to make an impact at the Paralympics but the World Cup is our current priority and we’re all looking for a good level of performance across the group stages.”

England have been grouped with Russia, South Korea and Argentina with games every other day for Lyndon Lynch’s men: “The schedule means the games will come thick and fast but we’ve got a 12 man squad here and we’re prepared for the challenge,” said Davis.

“The players trained over at Spurs Lodge at the top of the year and took part in sessions with Heurelho Gomes and Steven Pienaar so we’ve created a really positive environment for these players ahead of the tournament."

The England CP team features Scott Sinclair’s brother, Martin, in the lineup but Davis is aware that their opening game is against real tournament heavyweights: “You look at the teams in the World Cup and the likes of Russia and Ukraine will fancy their chances of going all the way as they’re very strong within this format of football.

“We’ve got the potential to do very well in this group so the Russia game on Sunday will be a tremendous test of character for our squad.”