Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz says England may wear three lions on their crest, but his Black Stars carry an entire nation of 33 million lions of their own, from which they will draw strength when the Black Stars face England in a crucial World Cup Group L match on Tuesday.
Ghana and England both opened the tournament with victories. Ghana defeated Panama 1-0 on a stoppage-time goal by Caleb Yirenkyi, while England romped to a 4-2 win over Croatia. A win for either side would take them through to the knockout phase.
"We know they have the three lions on their shirt, but we come from Ghana and have 33 million lions to fight for this game," Queiroz told reporters on Monday ahead of the Group L match at Boston Stadium.
The Portuguese coach said the occasion is one his players will embrace rather than fear, and they required no added motivation to rise to the occasion.
"This is the easiest type of match, because when you're about to play against England, France or Germany, you don't need to say anything to the players. They're fully motivated," he said.
"Everybody is fully switched on and everybody wants to perform well. What we have to do in this type of game is to try and moderate the enthusiasm, but mainly we need to do work together.
"This is the most important thing tomorrow. Whatever happens, we need to stick together and fight together over 90 full minutes.
"It is an opportunity that happens once in a lifetime. We will play with all our weapons, with all our intensity, with all our quality."
England, currently ranked fourth in the world, would clinch top spot in the group with a win over Ghana, ranked 65th, combined with a Panama loss to Croatia in the other Group L fixture.
Ghana who are chasing a first World Cup knockout-stage appearance since reaching the quarterfinals in South Africa in 2010, would also all but guarantee top spot with a win.
Thomas Tuchel's side are odds on favourites to win the game and Queiroz acknowledged the challenge posed by one of the tournament favorites but said Ghana are prepared for the challenge.
"We know how England play. They have excellent players, they have the experience of their Premier League. They have intensity, but we know how we can control this," Queiroz said.
Ghana and England have met only once, a 1-1 friendly at Wembley Stadium in March of 2011, when Andy Carroll's opener was canceled out by a late Asamoah Gyan equalizer. Tuesday's match is the first competitive meeting between the two nations.
Queiroz, however, does carry his own history against England. As Iran's coach at the 2022 World Cup, he watched his team lose 6-2 in the group stage, the heaviest defeat of that tournament's group phase.
He waved off any suggestion the result still stings, dismissing the idea that history carries any weight: "In football, four years is like a century, so I don't even remember where that was.
"I was not defeated. In football, we never lose. We win or we learn. We learned a couple of lessons that day.
"It's another game. All games are different, it's a different team on the pitch and different environment. The reputations and prestige of results in the past are significant when they are written in the press, but they cannot win games. Memories don't win games, so tomorrow will be another story."
Queiroz said the focus remains on ensuring his players leave the field knowing they have given everything: "Tomorrow, we will fight to win. Whatever the result, our players must emerge from the game with their chins held high, knowing they gave everything."
England have never lost to African opposition at the World Cup and arrive in Boston after an impressive attacking display against Croatia with Harry Kane scoring twice, while Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford also found the net.
Ghana, meanwhile, left it late and had to dig deep to overcome Panama.
Kickoff at Gillette Stadium is set for 4 p.m. ET Tuesday.