Wales VS England
European Championship Qualifying Group G
26th Mar 2011
KO 15:00
Ground: Millenium Stadium, Cardiff
Wales will look to keep their fading Euro 2012 dreams alive when they welcome neighbours England to the Millennium Stadium.
Having opened their qualification campaign with three defeats, newly-appointed coach Gary Speed's side know they have a mountain to climb if they are to end their long wait for a place at a major tournament.
The Dragons are fast running out of time in their efforts to reach the 2012 European Championships in Ukraine and Poland, suggesting they are poised for further international heartache. Confidence needs to be restored to a side that has tasted defeat on its last four outings, scoring only one goal in the process.
Speed will be hoping that Wales can turn the corner on Saturday, in his first competitive fixture since inheriting the national reins from John Toshack. It could be that a meeting with England is just what the Dragons need, with a full house in Cardiff expected to generate a red-hot atmosphere.
The Three Lions will enter the game, though, knowing that they have prevailed in the last two meetings between the two nations - during qualification for the 2006 World Cup. They have, however, alternated between victory and defeat on their last five visits to Wales and were that record to continue this weekend, they would leave with nothing.
England's recent away record suggests they are capable of bucking that trend, with a defeat in the Ukraine after they had already booked their place at the 2010 World Cup representing the only setback they have suffered on the road in their last six outings.
Goals have also been in plentiful supply for Fabio Capello's men of late, with only Montenegro and Algeria having kept them out in their last 13 fixtures.
More goals and another three points against Wales this weekend would be enough to take England to the top of Group G on goal difference, with current leaders Montenegro not in action.
However, off the field news has been dominating the English media recently. Quite apart from the speculation over Frank Lampard's place in an England team which has not started a competitive match without either he or Steven Gerrard since 2002, the latest news story ungulfing the England camp regards the captaincy. Rio Ferdinand has had the captaincy stripped from him and it has been returned to erstwhile captain John Terry.
Team News:
Wales will be without Gareth Bale for Saturday's 2012 European Championship Group G qualifier against England. The Tottenham left-sided player is out with a hamstring injury, but Aston Villa centre-back James Collins is fit after overcoming a calf injury. England coach Fabio Capello has said midfielder Jack Wilshere will start the match while striker Andy Carroll will not play the full 90 minutes. Goalkeeper Ben Foster has pulled out of the squad because a throat infection.West Brom keeper Scott Carson has replaced his Birmingham counterpart for the match at the Millennium Stadium.
Wales: Hennessey (Wolves), Myhill (West Brom), Price (Crystal Palace), Collins (Stoke City), Collins (Aston Villa), Eardley (Blackpool), Gabbidon (West Ham), Gunter (N Forest), Nyatanga (Bristol C), Taylor (Swansea), Williams (Swansea), Allen (Swansea), Crofts (Norwich), King (Leicester), Ledley (Celtic), Ramsey (Arsenal), Vaughan (Blackpool), Bellamy (Cardiff), Church (Reading), Vokes (Wolves, on loan at Sheff Utd), Evans (Sheff Utd), Eastwood (Coventry), Morison (Millwall), Robson-Kanu (Reading)
England: Carson (West Brom), Green (West Ham), Hart (Man City), Baines (Everton), Cahill (Bolton), Cole (Chelsea), Dawson (Tottenham), Jagielka (Everton), Johnson (Liverpool), Lescott (Man City), Terry (Chelsea, capt), Walker (Aston Villa), Barry (Man City), Downing (Aston Villa), Jarvis (Wolves), Lampard (Chelsea), Lennon (Tottenham), Milner (Man City), Parker (West Ham), Young (Aston Villa), Wilshere (Arsenal), Bent (Aston Villa), Carroll (Liverpool), Crouch (Tottenham), Defoe (Tottenham), Rooney (Man Utd)
The Dragons are fast running out of time in their efforts to reach the 2012 European Championships in Ukraine and Poland, suggesting they are poised for further international heartache. Confidence needs to be restored to a side that has tasted defeat on its last four outings, scoring only one goal in the process.
Speed will be hoping that Wales can turn the corner on Saturday, in his first competitive fixture since inheriting the national reins from John Toshack. It could be that a meeting with England is just what the Dragons need, with a full house in Cardiff expected to generate a red-hot atmosphere.
The Three Lions will enter the game, though, knowing that they have prevailed in the last two meetings between the two nations - during qualification for the 2006 World Cup. They have, however, alternated between victory and defeat on their last five visits to Wales and were that record to continue this weekend, they would leave with nothing.
England's recent away record suggests they are capable of bucking that trend, with a defeat in the Ukraine after they had already booked their place at the 2010 World Cup representing the only setback they have suffered on the road in their last six outings.
Goals have also been in plentiful supply for Fabio Capello's men of late, with only Montenegro and Algeria having kept them out in their last 13 fixtures.
More goals and another three points against Wales this weekend would be enough to take England to the top of Group G on goal difference, with current leaders Montenegro not in action.
However, off the field news has been dominating the English media recently. Quite apart from the speculation over Frank Lampard's place in an England team which has not started a competitive match without either he or Steven Gerrard since 2002, the latest news story ungulfing the England camp regards the captaincy. Rio Ferdinand has had the captaincy stripped from him and it has been returned to erstwhile captain John Terry.
Team News:
Wales will be without Gareth Bale for Saturday's 2012 European Championship Group G qualifier against England. The Tottenham left-sided player is out with a hamstring injury, but Aston Villa centre-back James Collins is fit after overcoming a calf injury. England coach Fabio Capello has said midfielder Jack Wilshere will start the match while striker Andy Carroll will not play the full 90 minutes. Goalkeeper Ben Foster has pulled out of the squad because a throat infection.West Brom keeper Scott Carson has replaced his Birmingham counterpart for the match at the Millennium Stadium.
Wales: Hennessey (Wolves), Myhill (West Brom), Price (Crystal Palace), Collins (Stoke City), Collins (Aston Villa), Eardley (Blackpool), Gabbidon (West Ham), Gunter (N Forest), Nyatanga (Bristol C), Taylor (Swansea), Williams (Swansea), Allen (Swansea), Crofts (Norwich), King (Leicester), Ledley (Celtic), Ramsey (Arsenal), Vaughan (Blackpool), Bellamy (Cardiff), Church (Reading), Vokes (Wolves, on loan at Sheff Utd), Evans (Sheff Utd), Eastwood (Coventry), Morison (Millwall), Robson-Kanu (Reading)
England: Carson (West Brom), Green (West Ham), Hart (Man City), Baines (Everton), Cahill (Bolton), Cole (Chelsea), Dawson (Tottenham), Jagielka (Everton), Johnson (Liverpool), Lescott (Man City), Terry (Chelsea, capt), Walker (Aston Villa), Barry (Man City), Downing (Aston Villa), Jarvis (Wolves), Lampard (Chelsea), Lennon (Tottenham), Milner (Man City), Parker (West Ham), Young (Aston Villa), Wilshere (Arsenal), Bent (Aston Villa), Carroll (Liverpool), Crouch (Tottenham), Defoe (Tottenham), Rooney (Man Utd)
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Possible Team Lineups:
Hart
Johnson Jagielka Terry (c) Cole
Lampard Wilshere
Lennon Rooney Young
Bent
Church
Bellamy --------------------------- Robson-Kanu
Ledley Ramsey
Vaughan
D. Collins J. Collins Williams Gunter
Hennessey
Possible Team Lineups:
Hart
Johnson Jagielka Terry (c) Cole
Lampard Wilshere
Lennon Rooney Young
Bent
Church
Bellamy --------------------------- Robson-Kanu
Ledley Ramsey
Vaughan
D. Collins J. Collins Williams Gunter
Hennessey