Alessia Russo celebrates scoring for England against Jamaica with Arsenal teammate Leah Williamson [Natalie Mincher/SPP]

THE excitement has reached fever pitch as the Lionesses prepare to roar into action at the UEFA Women’s Euros this Saturday.

The England players arrived in the midst of a heatwave when they touched down in Zurich, Switzerland, this week looking to defend their European crown. And Arsenal forward Beth Mead insists Sarina Wiegman’s side can handle the heat and retain the title that they won in 2022.

“Obviously the team’s changed quite a bit,” she said. “We’ve had retirements, we’ve had different players come in, young players coming to their first tournament, but I think we’ve got a very good blend at the moment. We’re going there to win – that’s our objective. We know we’ve got a target on our back but now we’ve got to consistently perform at our highest level.”

England kick off their tournament against France on Saturday, before going on to tackle Netherlands and Wales.

They warmed up for the Euros in entertaining fashion on Sunday when they beat Jamaica 7-0 at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium. Ella Toone bagged a brace, while Lucy Bronze, Georgia Stanway, Alessia Russo, Aggie Beever-Jones and Beth Mead all scored in the rout.