KARL Robinson believes England should go into their World Cup opener full of confidence – because they have attacking players that will scare any opposition.

Oxford United’s manager will be watching with interest when Gareth Southgate’s side open their tournament against Tunisia tonight.

Robinson says he is excited about the potential of the squad, and applauds the England boss for putting his faith in younger players.

And while others appear keen to dismiss the chances of a positive display in Russia, the U’s boss is looking forward to seeing what they can do on the biggest stage.

“I think the squad is exceptional and the idea behind the selections are very clever,” he said.

“I think we will do better then what most people think.”

The age of the squad has been seen by some as a negative, but Robinson disagrees.

Although appreciating there is a risk of mistakes, he is convinced their ability in the final third of the pitch can prove a lethal weapon.

“We will play without fear,” Robinson said. “It might be a problem when they maybe make a mistake and fall behind – that’s the worry.

“The vulnerability will be in our defensive set-up – how we can keep teams out and make sure our goalkeeper cannot make mistakes.

“But our attacking prowess will be as good as anything in the world.”

He added: “What team would Harry Kane not get in?

“If you put Dele Alli on the open market, what team on a global scale would not buy him? And Raheem Sterling. What team would not take him in the form he is in?

“Then there’s (Marcus) Rashford, the quality and speed he has. In the final third of the pitch there will not be many other teams with that quality.

“I have been banging the drum for (Ruben) Loftus-Cheek for a long time as well, since I first saw him at 16 or 17.

“We have got energy, youth but in tournament football it’s about making the minimum amount of errors. If we can reduce those, you fancy us scoring.”

Robinson believes there is no reason why England cannot make it to the latter stages.

And if they do, he thinks anything is possible.

“Reaching the quarter-finals will be a success,” he said. “If you put yourself in that position anything is possible. Who knows what can happen in one-off games.

“We will certainly have the youngest team with the most energy – and that excites me. But whatever happens, we will be very well set-up for the next World Cup.”