Wales manager Chris Coleman: 'England is the one team I said I didn't want'

Chris Coleman, manager of Wales' national team, only had one wish going into Saturday's Euro 2016 draw: avoid England.

Unfortunately for him, the balls and pots didn't listen.

Related: Euro 2016 draw, Group B: England, Wales set for epic British clash

Speaking after Wales was drawn alongside England in Euro 2016's Group B on Saturday, Coleman repeated that the Three Lions were the only team he had hoped to avoid at the competition, but was nonetheless optimistic about the clash.

"England is the one team I said that we didn't want," he said, according to the Guardian. "To play England, they are a fantastic team, but we are a good team too. The atmosphere will electric."

On Friday, Coleman admitted that he would prefer if Wales didn't play England, saying: "That would be viewed as a battle of Britain and there would be a lot of things that go with it that could make it a distraction."

Wales' appearance at Euro 2016 will mark its first at a major competition since the 1958 World Cup, while its date with England will be the 102nd time that the two teams from the United Kingdom clash on the pitch.