Jill Scott has been praised by her fellow Soccer Aid teammates after admitting her nerves ahead of the "competitive" match later this year.
The retired Lioness legend and I'm A Celebrity winner will captain the England team for the charity event at Manchester's Old Trafford on June 11. The star-studded football match, which will be available to watch on ITV, will raise money for children's charity Unicef and sees a team of famous faces and former professional players battle it out for the win.
Among the stars joining Jill on the England team will be presenter Paddy McGuinness, fellow I'm A Celeb campmate Scarlette Douglas, Olympic running champion Sir Mo Farah and pundit Gary Neville. The team will also be coached by Chelsea Women manager Emma Hayes, alongside Line of Duty's Vicky McClure.
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The team will face off against comedian Lee Mack, Dragon's Den star Steven Bartlett and Love Island winner Kem Cetinay, captained by retired Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt and coached by Robbie Keane - with organisers promising that this will be the "best Soccer Aid yet". Jill said last month that she was eyeing up the "holy trinity" of wins by taking home the Soccer Aid trophy to sit alongside her Euros and I'm A Celeb accolades.
But the Sunderland-born star admitted that she's "not excited" about having to chase Usain Bolt around the pitch as she opened up about her team's chances of winning the match. Speaking to the PA news agency, Jill revealed: "I'm sure we'll want a win.
"Obviously, we know that it's a great match in terms of raising money and it is a fun evening. I know that everybody, especially the ex-players, you never step on a football pitch and think that you don't want to win."
Expressing her excitement at getting to play alongside her former teammate and friend Karen Carney, who is also joining the Soccer Aid England side this year, Jill joked: "It'll be nice to get back in an England shirt with her because it’s probably about six or seven years since we played together. We might be a little bit slower now - well I definitely will be."
Speaking of her competition, Jill admitted: "I'm not excited about chasing Usain Bolt if I'm being completely honest. And I know Lee Mack takes this very seriously - I've seen a few programmes where he's actually been practising his penalties and stuff like that, so they're going to be competitive."
But co-manager Vicky McClure said she's certain that having Jill on the team will secure England the trophy this year. The actress told PA: "The Lionesses, that moment in time, will live on forever. They have broken boundaries and changed the game in many ways and having Jill as captain on the team can only mean one thing - and that is a win for England."
Last year's Soccer Aid match saw an incredible £15m raised for Unicef. "I think the fact that going out there and playing football, something that we all love, can help change so many children's lives and give them the opportunity just to be children really, it's not like you're asking for much," Jill said.
"I love working with children - I think just seeing the smiles on their faces, and I think every child should be entitled to that so it does mean a lot for me," she added. The match will be shown on June 11 on ITV and ITVX, hosted by Dermot O'Leary - tickets to watch the game at Old Trafford are on sale now starting from £10.
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