Preview: England v Slovenia at Wembley

by Simon Boyle. Published Sat 05 Sep 2009 15:44, Last updated: 2009-09-05

England face Slovenia in a final friendly today at Wembley, as manager Fabio Capello fine-tunes his squad for their crucial world cup qualifier mid-week.

The Three Lions look all but assured of booking a place in South Africa, and this weekends clash will serve as a vital warm-up for Wednesday's home tie with rivals Croatia.

So far the Capello's qualifying record has been 100%, and the Italian will be eager to maintain his run and qualify for the tournament in an assured fashion.

The England manager is likely to have his first XI decided for the meeting with Croatia and today's match could provide a valuable opportunity for a number of players looking to break into the first team.

John Terry was an injury doubt following a groin strain earlier in the week, but the Chelsea skipper appears to have been quicker to recover than expected - perhaps spurred on by his much publicised and highly lucrative new contract with the London club.

Sadly, there has been no such recovery for Terry's partner at the back, and Rio Ferdinand remains sidelined - unlikely to figure in either of the two games this week.

West Ham's Matthew Upson and Manchester City new-boy Joleon Lescott will compete to start alongside Terry, while Robert Green looks likely to remain in goal for the home side.

Liverpool's Glen Johnson seems likely to feature at right-back, and Ashley Cole looks assured of his place as Johnson's opposite number.

Liverpool's talisman Steven Gerrard should start, bolstered by his return to form against Bolton last weekend, with Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry and David Beckham expected to complete the midfield.

Wayne Rooney remains high on Fabio Capello list of priorities, and seems assured of a start, alongside Aston Villa's Emile Heskey.

Slovenia are third in World Cup qualifying Group 3 - behind Slovakia and Northern Ireland, and ahead of Poland and the Czech Republic - and kept alive hopes of reaching the finals with a 5-0 victory over San Marino in their last fixture.

West Brom's Robert Koren is the most familiar face in the visitors squad, who are preparing for a qualifying fixture with Poland on Wednesday.

Probable England team: Green, Johnson, Terry, Upson, A.Cole, Beckham, Lampard, Barry, Gerrard, Rooney, Heskey.


England are heavy favourites, 11/2 for a 2-0 win at www.paddypower.com





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