Gareth Southgate has urged England's players to soak in the "carnival" atmosphere at the World Cup and see the tournament as a "festival of football".

The Three Lions are preparing for their first game at the competition, Monday night's Group G encounter against Tunisia in Volgograd.

Expectations for England are relatively low in Russia given a decade of disappointing results at tournament level as well as Southgate's selection of a young team.

However, the former Middlesbrough manager is eager to remove the kind of pressure which has plagued past England teams and stressed the importance of making the most of the occasion.

"When I have been at World Cups before, whether working with the media or following the games scouting, there is a kind of carnival of football out there that sometimes as a player you don't access and don't feel part of," Southgate told BBC Sport.

"We have got to feel that it is a festival of football that you are fully involved in, and look to play as well as we can.

"I think having watched the Spain-Portugal game, these are the sort of games that announce the tournament is under way. The players enjoyed watching it and it brought energy to our hotel."

After the Tunisia clash, England will go on to face Panama and Belgium in their other Group G ties.