Roy Hodgson has said he would put a speculative tenner on his England side to win the World Cup before Friday's draw that will begin the final countdown to his proudest moment in football.

In bullish mood, the England manager also unveiled plans to tap into the performance strategies and psychological strength that helped Team GB record their best Olympic medal haul in a century at London 2012. He will enlist Lord Coe to give his players an insight into coping with pressure and expects the recently hired Dave Reddin, the performance expert who worked with England's 2003 Rugby World Cup winners and 2012 Olympians, to play a key role in fine-tuning their preparations.

While Hodgson underscored the new sense of realism that has surrounded England's chances since he took over on the eve of Euro 2012, he also dared to dream. Careful not to be drawn into setting targets, he was asked if he would put his hypothetical tenner on Brazil to win their sixth World Cup title. "No – I'd put it on England," he replied. "I'd have a chance of losing it on Brazil, so why not put it on the team I want to win it?"

Hodgson arrived at the Costa do Sauípe draw venue on Brazil's north-east coast from Rio de Janeiro, where he had earlier given his seal of approval to England's planned base at the Royal Tulip hotel and their proposed training camp in the shadow of Sugarloaf Mountain.

Although enthusiasm for England's chances was tempered last month by back-to-back friendly defeats at Wembley to Chile and Germany, Hodgson said he would relish the chance to savour their achievement in qualifying. "We are here, we are part of it, that's a great feeling and the draw will be exciting. Like all draws we hope we get one we like the look of, but you take what you get, that's the most important thing."

Hodgson said he was unconcerned by last-minute changes that could see England draw a group that includes the hosts Brazil, Italy and the USA and has maintained he is more worried about where they will play than who they will face.

"One of the things you have to think about in Brazil, from Porto Alegre all the way up to Manaus, is the fact that three games in nine or 10 days is going to be very tough for any team, let alone a European team," he said. "Will we have enough legs, will we have enough running power, will we have enough endurance, will we have enough youth?"

Hodgson, who said the door would remain open for players who could force their way into his thinking between now and June, spoke of a "nice balance" to his squad, both on the pitch and off. "We're not one-dimensional in any way. There are options. I think the emergence of these younger players with slightly different skills to what we had in the past gives us different options," he said, praising the emergence of a side with pace and "counter-attacking threat".

With Rio as their base, the Football Association is hopeful that it will help the players to relax and enjoy being part of the tournament, as well as remaining focused on the task in hand. Hodgson said Reddin, recently hired to target the "marginal gains" that could allow England's players to perform at their peak, would play a big role. He is likely to be joined by a dedicated sports psychologist brought in to ensure England avoid the familiar feeling of claustrophobic underachievement and penalty shootout trauma that so often accompanies major tournaments.

"All you can do is put all your experience at the players' disposal and make sure they realise the only way you can really feel good coming into a World Cup or coming out of a World Cup is if you go there and play well," said Hodgson.

As the first Englishman to coach a side at the World Cup finals since Glenn Hoddle in 1998, Hodgson said he would feel huge pride when the first game kicked off.

"We'll have had four or five weeks of preparation and we'll be there, we'll be lined up and the national anthem will play. It's a surge of feeling that you can't deny and it's very difficult to describe."Between now and then, there will be a programme of friendlies and a pre-tournament training camp in the USA to fine tune his squad. At one of those get togethers, Hodgson hopes to call on Coe to speak to his players.

"He had to work under the burden of that pressure. When he was the best 1500 metre runner in the world, when he took part in Olympic Games or World Championships he was expected to win, like Jessica Ennis was in London. And that's an enormous pressure, even when you're good enough to do it."