England hero John Barnes believes that the upcoming friendly matches with Spain and France should give supporters a better idea of how the team will fare in next summer’s European Championships.

The Three Lions’ spot in EURO 2016 has been sealed for some time, with Roy Hodgson’s men having qualified with ease after a disastrous 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Across the 10 games England picked up maximum points while only conceding three goals, making them the most convincing of all 53 teams in the running to travel to France for the competition.

However, despite this record many have belittled the achievements of Hodgson’s side, with their toughest opponents in Group E being Switzerland, while minnows San Marino were also involved – they conceded 36 times and scored just once.

And TitanBet brand ambassador Barnes – who was capped 79 times – told FootballFanCast that, although impressed with the way his nation qualified, the upcoming games against defending champions Spain and hosts France are matches from which a greater idea of the team’s chances next summer can be deduced:

“We’re playing better opposition, but with friendly matches you can also experiment.” He said.

“England always do well in qualifying, but this quality of opposition will give us a better idea of how England match up with the biggest sides and how well individuals match up against other top players.

“Players like [Ross] Barkley and [John] Stones are promising, but these are the sorts of games we have to judge them in, against quality opposition.

“It’s not necessarily the results to look out for, more the performances.”

John Barnes is Brand Ambassador for Titanbet.co.uk.  Visit Titanbet.co.uk (Link below) and get £20 Free bet when you stake £10. 18+ Terms apply. Gambleaware.co.uk

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