Volgograd: Tunisia fear facing England's "most dangerous weapon" - attacking midfielder Dele Alli - but the North Africans will be pushing for an upset in their opening game on Monday, said coach Nabil Maaloul.

Gareth Southgate's team has shown improvement since England's humiliating defeat by Iceland at Euro 2016 and Maaloul believes the team in Russia is even better than the class of 1998, which included David Beckham and Michael Owen.

"It is true they had Beckham, Owen, and other players but I do not think they had the osmosis they have now," Maaloul told reporters on Sunday ahead of the Group G match.

"The current English team is much stronger than the one in 2016 so it's not going to be the same thing," added Maaloul, who was in the stadium to watch England lose 2-1 to Iceland in France two years ago.

In addition to athletic prowess and speed, England boast Tottenham Hotspur's Alli, whom Tunisia's coach - himself a former midfielder - said was "excellent."