Wales star Gareth Bale described England as the "enemy" in one of his many incendiary comments in the build-up to the match, but Roy Hodgson is adopting a different tone about the all-British match.
"It's a game between brothers," the England coach said Wednesday, in a remark that will likely be viewed with both bemusement and amusement from the Welsh population.
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For Wales, the game in Lens is one of the biggest in its recent history - a rare chance to meet its bitter rival and neighbour on the big soccer stage. The Welsh are playing in a major tournament for the first time in 58 years.
Wales last beat England in football in 1984 when a young Mark Hughes headed home at Wrexham for a 1-0 victory.
England captain Wayne Rooney, however, talked about it as just another game and wasn't ready to go toe-to-toe with Bale in the mind games.
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"We're just focused on preparing for the game," said an unflustered Rooney, refusing to bite on one of many questions about Wales' recent straight-talking in Wednesday's pre-match news conference.
Hodgson rolled his eyes when asked if remarks from the Welsh camp were getting under his players' skin.
"If we really took it seriously . and allowed it to affect our concentration, we'd be very ashamed of ourselves," Hodgson said. "Talk is talk. Action on the field is action on the field."
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Bale has been a central figure in the build-up to the game and he's set to play a major role in the match, too.
The Welsh rely heavily on the Real Madrid forward, who scored seven and was provider for two of Wales' 11 goals in qualifying. Bale, the world's most expensive player, also scored a free kick to set Wales on its way to a 2-1 win over Slovakia in the first group game.
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Rooney described Bale as a "fantastic player" - England midfielder Adam Lallana ranked Bale among the world's top five players when asked about him on Tuesday - but the England captain said his team shouldn't be preoccupied by Wales' superstar.
"It's not England vs. Gareth Bale," Rooney said, "it's England vs. Wales."
The match is being labeled a Premier League game on an international stage, given that 19 of the likely starters play in England's top flight.
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"That adds spice and interest," Hodgson said. "That's something I can only welcome. If anything, it heightens the occasion, rather than lessens it.
"Many people in Britain are looking forward to this game, we certainly are, and maybe around the world.
France last night became the first team into the second round with a 2-0 win over Albania.
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Wales and England fans in Lens ahead of the UEFA Euro 2016, Group B match at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens.
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A football supporter covers his head with an England flag as he walks in the rain in Lens, northern France, on 16 June 2016, on the day England plays against Wales in their Euro 2016 group B football match. / AFP / LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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England fans climb onto a bar's canopy to hang a flag in central Lens, on 16 June 2016, on the day that England plays Wales during the Euro 2016 football tournament. / AFP / LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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A flare is ignited as England fans hang a flag onto a bar's canopy in central Lens, on 16 June 2016, on the day that England plays Wales during the Euro 2016 football tournament. / AFP / LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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A flare is ignited as England fans hang a flag onto a bar's canopy in central Lens, on 16 June 2016, on the day that England plays Wales during the Euro 2016 football tournament. / AFP / LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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England fans chant in the streets in central Lens, on 16 June 2016, on the day that England plays Wales during the Euro 2016 football tournament. / AFP / LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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England fans climb onto a bar's canopy to hang a flag in central Lens, on 16 June 2016, on the day that England plays Wales during the Euro 2016 football tournament. / AFP / LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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Wales and England fans in Lens ahead of the UEFA Euro 2016, Group B match at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens.
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Wales and England fans in Lens ahead of the UEFA Euro 2016, Group B match at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens.
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Wales and England fans in Lens ahead of the UEFA Euro 2016, Group B match at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens.
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A supporter speaks to French police in Lens, France Thursday, June 16, 2016 ahead of the Euro 2016 Group B soccer match between England and Wales at the Bollaert stadium. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
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A football fan walks through a fountain in Lille, ahead of England's Euro 2016 clash with Wales.
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England fans soak up the atmosphere before the UEFA Euro 2016, Group B match at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday June 16, 2016. See PA story SOCCER England. Photo credit should read: John Walton/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only. Book and magazine sales permitted providing not solely devoted to any one team/player/match. No commercial use. Call +44 (0)1158 447447 for further information.
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England football fans walk through a fountain in Lille, ahead of England's Euro 2016 clash with Wales.
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Wales fans in Lens ahead of the UEFA Euro 2016, Group B match at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens.
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An England fan has his face painted during the UEFA Euro 2016, Group B match at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens.
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Wales fans in Lens ahead of the UEFA Euro 2016, Group B match at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens.
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England fans in Lens ahead of the UEFA Euro 2016, Group B match at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens.
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England fans soak up the atmosphere before the UEFA Euro 2016, Group B match at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens.
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Wales fans in Lens ahead of the UEFA Euro 2016, Group B match at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens.
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England fans in Lens ahead of the UEFA Euro 2016, Group B match at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens.
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Wales fans soak up the atmosphere before the UEFA Euro 2016, Group B match at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday June 16, 2016. See PA story SOCCER England. Photo credit should read: John Walton/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only. Book and magazine sales permitted providing not solely devoted to any one team/player/match. No commercial use. Call +44 (0)1158 447447 for further information.
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LENS, FRANCE - JUNE 16: A Wales fan with a hamburger mask poses for a photograph ahead of the England v Wales Euro 2016 Group B match on June 16, 2016 in Lens, France. Fans from both countries have arrived in Lens to watch the widely anticipated match. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
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LENS, FRANCE - JUNE 16: Wales fans arrive at the stadium ahead of the England v Wales Euro 2016 Group B match on June 16, 2016 in Lens, France. Fans from both countries have arrived in Lens to watch the widely anticipated match. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
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LENS, FRANCE - JUNE 16: Wales fans look on prior to the UEFA EURO 2016 Group B match between England v Wales at Stade Bollaert-Delelis on June 16, 2016 in Lens, France. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
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England and Wales supporters make their way towards the stadium in Lens, northern France, on 16 June 2016, on the day England plays against Wales in their Euro 2016 group B football match. / AFP / LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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Wales supporters make their way to the game ahead of the UEFA Euro 2016, Group B match at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens.
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Wales and England fans in Lens ahead of the UEFA Euro 2016, Group B match at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens.
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England fans in Lens ahead of the UEFA Euro 2016, Group B match at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens.
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Wales fans in Lens ahead of the UEFA Euro 2016, Group B match at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens.
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England supporters pose for a photo in Lens, France Thursday, June 16, 2016 ahead of the Euro 2016 Group B soccer match between England and Wales at the Bollaert stadium. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
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French police look on as an England supporter buys a beer in Lens, France Thursday, June 16, 2016 ahead of the Euro 2016 Group B soccer match between England and Wales at the Bollaert stadium. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
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England supporters dressed as World War II soldiers pose for a photo in Lens, France Thursday, June 16, 2016 ahead of the Euro 2016 Group B soccer match between England and Wales at the Bollaert stadium. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
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French police look on as Wales supporters arrive in Lens, France Thursday, June 16, 2016 ahead of the Euro 2016 Group B soccer match between England and Wales at the Bollaert stadium. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
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French police take their positions in Lens, France Thursday, June 16, 2016 ahead of the Euro 2016 Group B soccer match between England and Wales at the Bollaert stadium. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
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LENS, FRANCE - JUNE 16: An England fan shows his support prior to the UEFA EURO 2016 Group B match between England and Wales at Stade Bollaert-Delelis on June 16, 2016 in Lens, France. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)