Post by Taxigirl on Oct 15, 2003 15:52:48 GMT
England have confirmed they will play Denmark in an international friendly on November 16 at Old Trafford.
After securing their passage into next summer's World Cup finals in Portugal, The Football Association announced that the Danes would be England's first opposition in preparation for the tournament.
Denmark have also qualified automatically for Euro 2004, winning their group with 15 points, ahead of Norway and Romania. They will play friendlies against Turkey and Spain in February and March respectively.
FA director of marketing and communications Paul Barber told The FA's official website: "We are delighted to secure Denmark as opposition for the first match in our preparation for next year's European Championships.
"It will be England's first match after the magnificent performance in Istanbul, and a chance to celebrate our qualification on home soil.
"We wanted to stage this match in the biggest possible venue to meet the demand of the fans.
"Old Trafford has been a fantastic venue for recent England matches and this promises to be another great occasion for both the fans and the team."
England coach Sven Goran Eriksson also backed The FA's decision to play Denmark, saying they will provide a stern test of the standard required for Portugal.
"Denmark are a passionate football nation with a proud tradition. They won the European Championship in 1992 and their qualification for Euro 2004 shows that their current team is very strong," he said.
"The match will be a very good chance to prepare the squad for next year's championship and test ourselves against high-level opposition."
Manchester United Chief Executive David Gill said: "Manchester United is delighted to be hosting this match. Past England games at Old Trafford have been fantastic successes and provide a wonderful opportunity for fans in the North West to see the national team in action."
Danish counterpart Morten Olsen said his side would be facing one of the toughest teams in world football: "We will be facing one of the leading football nations. When you look at our schedule of friendly matches you have to conclude that we will be meeting some of the best teams in the world."