Post by Salem6 on Jun 15, 2006 9:24:12 GMT
Group B
Nuremberg
Thursday, 15 June
Kick-off: 1700 BST
How to follow the game:
Listen live on BBC Radio Five Live & the BBC Sport website (UK users only); highlights on Match of the Day (BBC ONE, 2235 BST)
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England will book their place in the knock-out stages by beating Trinidad & Tobago in Nuremberg on Thursday.
The big question is will Wayne Rooney be risked at some stage? Sven-Goran Eriksson said he is match fit but he will be examined by medical experts.
Right-back Gary Neville is likely to miss out with a calf strain and Jamie Carragher is in line to deputise.
It is a cloudy morning in the city but temperatures are expected to soar to over 30C in the afternoon.
England (probable): Robinson, Carragher/Hargreaves, Ferdinand, Terry, A Cole; Beckham, Lampard, Gerrard, J Cole, Owen, Crouch.
Trinidad & Tobago (probable): Hislop, Lawrence, Sancho, Gray, Edwards, Samuel, Birchall, Theobald, Jones, S John, Yorke.
Referee: Toru Kamikawa (Japan).
PRE-MATCH BUILD-UP
1004 BST: Our feeling within the BBC is Wayne Rooney will not come on tonight. I think the players are a bit sick of all this, they feel their efforts have been hijacked by Rooney Mania. The question is whether this is going to upset what rhythm England have at the moment. If England are going to win the World Cup they will have to beat the best teams in the world. Why not keep Wayne Rooney for when they play them?"
Garth Crooks on BBC Radio One's Chris Moyles show.
0955 BST: England's players could be in for another hot night in Nuremberg, with a forecast for cloud but with temperatures touching 30C. The city is a lot quieter than last night, when the streets were awash with German fans celebrating. England's team hotel is in the centre of the city and the players will have undoubtedly heard the celebrations into the small hours, so they may enjoy the traditional match day lie-in a bit more than usual. It's worth pointing out that the hotel was chosen by Fifa and not the FA, whose planning on that sort of thing is meticulous.
Phil McNulty, BBC Sport in Nuremberg.
0945 BST: Trade union Amicus have caused a stir by giving advice on how to call off sick for work in order to see the England game. BBC News 24 interviews Derek Simpson from Amicus and he denies they are advising workers to skive off for the day or giving them tips on how to get away with it if caught.
He claims the union are "dealing with reality" and adds: "Some people will take sickies but our advice is that this is not a good course of action to take. We want to advise people who would probably get themselves into trouble."
0944 BST: Wayne Rooney could get a substitute appearance but what everyone over here cannot understand is why Angus Wallace is here. He gave his opinion on 7 June and we don't know what has changed since then. It seems the FA is desperately trying to cover themselves.
The Independent's Sam Wallace on Five Live.
0935 BST: Wayne Rooney will be assessed by independent specialist Angus Wallace this morning. The professor will examine the forward but also study videos of Rooney training over the past few days. Wallace last week had doubts about Rooney's availability for the group stages. There is still no news of Gary Neville's scan but he is a major doubt. We are expecting the weather to get even hotter today - it is going to be hot and steamy and about 30C.
Five Live's football correspondent Jonathan Legard.
0931 BST: BBC Radio One reports that the noise keeping the England players awake last night was generated by German fans celebrating their narrow win over Poland.
0929 BST: A few of the callers on Five Live are worried that Rooney's foot will be targeted if he comes on. Terry Butcher admits he tried to kick Argentina star Maradona in 1986 but could not get anywhere near him.
0922 BST: Tony from Milton Keynes on the Five Live phone-in wonders what all the fuss about Rooney is. He said: "I got my foot caught in a lawnmower and broke three metatarsals. I was running up and down ladders three weeks later. He should just get on with it."
0914 BST: I would pick Jamie Carragher at right-back if Gary Neville doesn't make it. Carragher deserves to play in the World Cup. Owen Hargreaves is more of a sitting midfielder so I would play Carragher. England are a bit worried about T&T's pace down the left and Carragher is more of a defender.
Former England skipper and Five Live sport summariser Terry Butcher.
0913 BST: I think from a bone point of view Wayne Rooney is fine, the only thing that he hasn't got is game-time and his touch. It may right to bring him on today. Rooney could be the difference between England winning the World Cup and not, but you have to give him game-time at the right time. Bringing on Wayne Rooney will lift the mood of the camp enormously.
Former England skipper and Five Live sport summariser Terry Butcher.
0910 BST: Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp has joined in with the criticism of Eriksson's decision to take Theo Walcott to Germany. Redknapp gave Walcott his professional debut at Southampton and once said of him: "The kid can run through puddles and not make a splash."
But in the Daily Mirror he said: "Eriksson has made a fundamental error by selecting Walcott. From what I hear even the Arsenal players are not sure how good Walcott is. I certainly think he's not up to it."
0859 BST: News comes in that five England fans were arrested in Nuremberg overnight, according to a British police spokeswoman. Three of the fans have since been released without charge while two are in custody for undisclosed offences. With up to 70,000 England fans expected in the city lets hope this is not a sign of things to come.
0854 BST: T&T president George Maxwell Richards has cancelled his flight home as he expects them to be in the knock-out stages. He told their official website: "I had intended to travel back on 20 June but it seems that we will be here either for Stuttgart or Munich in the second round."
0850 BST: Apparently the England squad were kept up until 2am by the noise outside their hotel near the station in Nuremberg.
BBC News 24's Chris Hollins.
0845 BST: First blood of the day goes to Trinidad & Tobago. In Nuremberg's main square, the BBC organises a Batte of the Bands between the official England supporters' club brass band, and the Phase II steel band from Trinidad. The steel band, in their sharp black suits, white shirts and red ties echoing the colours of Trinidad's flag, get the vote from the public, with even England fans agreeing that the Caribbean rhythms of the steel band comes out on top.
0839 BST: Downing Street is getting into the World Cup mood - the St George's cross is flying proudly from number 10.
0834 BST: Wayne Rooney is desperate to be involved and some sort of action seems likely, especially as Sven-Goran Eriksson made the unprecedented step of criticising Michael Owen's movement against Paraguay.
Five Live Sport's Mike Ingham.
BIG MATCH STATS
Progress possibilities
If England beat Trinidad & Tobago they will be certain of a place in the second round. If England win and the later match between Sweden and Paraguay is drawn, England will be the winners of Group B.
Head-to-heads
This will be the first international between England and Trinidad & Tobago.
Trinidad & Tobago is the 11th Commonwealth nation to play England in an official international. England's 21 previous games against Commonwealth opposition have resulted in 17 wins for England, three draws and one defeat. The sole defeat was 1-3 against Australia in February 2003.
Team facts - England
England are participating in the World Cup for the 12th time. From Europe, only Germany and Italy have taken part more often. The 1966 winners reached the quarter-finals four years ago, when they were eliminated by the eventual World Champions Brazil.
England have only failed to progress from the group stage on two occasions, in 1950 and 1958.
Team facts - Trinidad & Tobago
Trinidad & Tobago were the first of the six debutants at the 2006 World Cup to pick up a point, drawing with Sweden in their first match.
T & T are unbeaten in five competitive contests.
Player facts - England
Steven Gerrard and Peter Crouch run the risk of suspension if they receive another yellow card.
Theo Walcott could become the second youngest player ever at a World Cup. Should he take the field against T & T, the Arsenal youngster would be playing at the age of 17 years and 91 days, only 50 days older than all-time record holder Norman Whiteside. If Walcott scores, he will be the youngest ever goalscorer, beating Pele's record of 17 years and 239 days.
Player facts - Trinidad & Tobago
Avery John is suspended against England having received the first red card of the 2006 World Cup in Trinidad & Tobago's opener against Sweden. Dwight Yorke will be suspended for the match against Paraguay if he receives a yellow card.
Marvin Andrews is the most capped player in Trinidad's squad. He has 98 international matches to his name. He didn't play in Trinidad's opener. Stern John is the top scorer with 65 goals in 96 matches.
Miscellaneous Info
England have won every match that Peter Crouch has appeared in, while they've won 10 and drawn one of the last 11 matches in which Wayne Rooney has not played.
Trinidad's Leo Beenhakker is coaching at the World Cup for a second time. He has yet to win a match. In 1990, he led Holland to the last 16 where they suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of West Germany.
Big Match Stats source: Infostrada Sports
news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/4853008.stm