Those seeking comfort following last night’s less than convincing England performance need only look at Portugal’s result in Covilha. Held to a 0-0 draw by Cape Verde, Carlos Queiroz’s men go to the tournament in stone cold form and are heading into a tough group in which they will be competing against Brazil, the Ivory Coast and North Korea for qualification. At this rate, the Koreans will fancy their chances.

Of course, it is dangerous to read too much into the results from pre-tournament friendlies but Portuguese fans will have every right to feel even more worried should their team not perform appreciably better in their two remaining warm up games against Mozambique and Cameroon. Even if they do improve, it’s fair to say that an advance on their fourth place finish in the 2006 tournament is currently a long way off.

For long periods during the qualification campaign, it looked as though Portugal may not make the finals at all. They endured an horrific start in which they won only one of their opening five games. Their improvement in the second half of the qualifying schedule and the routine manner in which they beat Bosnia Herzegovina in the play-offs highlighted the team’s potential, although the fear is that it may prove to be a false dawn.

Following last night’s stalemate against the team FIFA rank 117^th in the world, Queiroz was reeling off the sound bites you would expect from a man who knows time is running out to get his team into shape. “This was a training match. We’ve only been together a few days and you can’t expect too much,” he said. “But we showed the tactical discipline and awareness which I wanted to see.”

Unsurprisingly, much of the focus and expectation is on Cristiano Ronaldo’s influence on the side. Ominously however, the Portuguese captain has rarely produced his club form for the national side and has sought to lessen his burden by warning that he can’t be expected to perform miracles in the tournament. Sadly however, if his side are to make any kind of impact in the tournament, they would appear to need them.

Of course there will be plenty of other teams at the tournament who have the potential to disappoint to the extent Portugal look capable of doing. France and Germany are two other established teams who are enduring difficult pre-tournament build-ups and appear to have lost faith in their coaches, whilst Diego Maradona’s erratic management style and squad selection mean it’s anybody’s guess how well Argentina do.

For now however, the spotlight is on Queiroz’s side following last night’s result. “We’re still at the beginning, we’re still getting ready”, Ronaldo said after the game. “We’re not going to take this draw too badly. By the time we get to South Africa we’ll be better than this”. With their crucial opening game against the Ivory Coast just three weeks away, fans of Selecção das Quinas will be hoping that their captain is as good as his word.

England take on Mexico at Wembley this evening in the first of two warm up games ahead of the their opening World Cup fixture against the USA on 12^th June. Fabio Capello has ruled out playing those who featured in last Saturday’s FA Cup final and has indicated that he will use the game as an opportunity to experiment. For those yet to cement their place in the 23 man squad, this could be their make or break moment. So who should Capello pick?

The Italian has said he is contemplating playing Wayne Rooney as a lone striker, as well as trying out the 3-5-2 formation which appears to have come into his plans. In would not be a surprise to see Capello try to experiment with both options in one evening, so expect to see extensive changes made at the half time interval. Based on a starting formation involving Rooney up front by himself, here is The Football’s Blog starting XI for this evening’s game:

Joe Hart – Deserves the chance to prove himself and Capello will want to understand whether he is a credible option as first choice goalkeeper, in a position in which the Italian appears genuinely undecided about.

Jamie Carragher – Eyebrows continued to be raised at the inclusion of the Liverpool defender as the only cover at right back. Needs the opportunity to prove the doubters wrong and reacquaint himself with the rigours of an international fixture.

Rio Ferdinand – He is the captain and supposedly an automatic starter, although if it was based on form and consistency this season then he would be nowhere near the team. Needs to prove to Capello he can be relied upon.

Ledley King – Can England really afford to take a centre half who can hardly train and is susceptible to breaking down at any time? This could be the litmus test for King, although Michael Dawson certainly deserves a half.

Leighton Baines – It would appear to be one out of two between Baines and Stephen Warnock to make the final squad, with the Everton man considered the front runner. Could cement his place with a good showing tonight.

Aaron Lennon – Assumed to be Capello’s first choice on the right, although has only just returned from injury and needs to prove it has not had an adverse affect. May only get 45 minutes, with Theo Walcott and Shaun Wright-Phillips also desperate to prove themselves.

James Milner – In the absence of Gareth Barry, the holding midfielder position needs to be resolved. Milner is almost certain to go to South Africa, but has failed to nail down a position of his own owing to his versatility. This could be his chance.  

Michael Carrick – May be handed Frank Lampard’s role for this evening. The Manchester United man’s position in the 23 is by no means guaranteed, but would do his chances no harm with a decent display in this position tonight.

Steven Gerrard – Should be relieved of duties on the left hand side of midfield and asked to support Rooney up front. Gerrard has had a mediocre season in Liverpool colours and needs to show he still has a key part to play.

Adam Johnson – With Joe Cole being rested, Johnson deserves his chance on the left following the form he showed at Manchester City this season and some apparently impressive training displays with England.

Wayne Rooney – Virtually the whole nation will be hoping and praying that Rooney can come through this encounter unscathed. The lone front man role is one he played for United for much of the season, hopefully he can reproduce in England colours.

Whilst Capello has said he already he is almost certain who will be in his 23-man, there is still much for him to consider. His starting XI and formation are still unclear, so it remains to be seen how much the proposed experimentation will affect his decision. Regardless, he will be hoping for no more injury headaches on a widely criticised Wembley surface which has proved to be slippery and dangerous in recent weeks.

Who would you play in this evening’s game? Do all the fringe players deserve the chance to impress? As ever, let us know your thoughts and enjoy the game.

England’s preparations for this summer’s World Cup begin this week when they host Egypt in a friendly at Wembley. Fabio Capello only has a few warm-up games to prepare for England’s opening group C fixture against Slovenia on June 23, and this week’s friendly will provide an opportunity for England’s stars to cement their places in the starting line-up for that match.

There are a few positions in Capello’s first choice eleven which remain up for grabs.

It will be particularly interesting to see if David James is handed his first international start in almost a year.

James was widely thought to be Capello’s first choice goalkeeper until a string of injuries limited his international chances to just one substitute appearance this season.

However, the Pompey keeper has been in tremendous form since returning for his club and will relish the chance to prove himself as England’s number one once again.

The news of Ashley Cole’s broken ankle was a real blow for England fans and it remains unclear whether the Chelsea star will be fit for the beginning of this summer’s tournament.

Wayne Bridge and Stephen Warnock are both in the frame to take over from Cole at left-back next week and will each be hoping for the chance to impress the England manager against the African Nation Champions.

Another area of interest is which striker will be chosen to partner Wayne Rooney at the head of England’s attack.

Jermaine Defoe continues to bang in the goals for Tottenham but Capello still seems to prefer Emile Heskey as a foil for the Manchester United star.

The game would have been Rio Ferdinand’s first since taking over as England skipper earlier this month, but injury again rules him out with Steven Gerrard being given the armband.

Ferdinand’s form at international level has been shaky in recent times so he would have been hoping for the opportunity to produce a solid performance leading England’s back-line as captain.

England’s opponents were desperately unlucky not to qualify for this year’s finals themselves.

Egypt finished with an identical record to Algeria at the top of their qualifying group but lost their tiebreak play-off 1-0 last November.

They remain one of the strongest African teams and will provide a stern test for Capello’s side.

They have few household names with most of their squad hailing from the Egyptian league but have maintained a strong work ethic under manager Head Coach Hassan Shehata.

Hull City striker Amir Zaki and West Ham forward Mido have been on the fringes of the squad of late but were both overlooked for this year’s African Cup Of Nations Tournament.

Joe Elvin

So, who drew any enjoyment from the England versus Brazil game on Saturday? Who fell asleep? Who had the blindingly obvious confirmed? Who thought that the ITV commentary and punditry was rubbish? 

Don’t get me wrong, the match had its moments; Elano’s lofted through ball onto the head of Nilmar was exquisite. James Milner continued his progression as a footballer. Andy Townsend didn’t say too much. The Khalifa International Stadium in Doha looked rather nice. The weather was better than it was in Staines. But who cares?

Did anyone think England’s second string XI would provide fireworks and did anyone believe that players such as Jermaine Jenas would push Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard? Even Jenas’ own mother must recognise that he doesn’t have a prayer of getting in the World Cup XI. Speaking of mothers’, Wes Brown’s must surely concede that her boy is, at best, a bit rubbish. His performance reminisced of the game that switched me off International friendly fixtures altogether. It was a cold evening at Villa Park and we were taking on Holland. The game, as far as I can remember, is only noteworthy because the Dutch wore a black and white anti-racism strip. I knew bad things were in store for us when Brown (how does he get a game for England or Manchester United?) was being partnered in the heart of our defence by Jamie Carragher. To compound my misery I was charged £40 for the ‘privilege’. For those in Doha, remove ‘Carragher’ and insert ‘Upson’. For those in their own living room, press the red button on your TV remote.

At least in Doha it was silent. We, the football watching public, were offered the ITV commentary and punditry team. England’s third string in television broadcasting terms. Only Channel Five offer worse. Steve Ryder I like. Clive Tyldesley I can put up with. Ian Wright possesses the vocabulary of a five year old. Marcel Desailly offers little. Fine player though he undoubtedly was, rubbish pundit he undoubtedly is. And then there’s Andy Townsend. I’ll say no more. At least it reconfirmed that at every possible juncture next summer I’ll be watching the World Cup on BBC. Whilst John Motson’s not what he used to be and Mark Lawrenson is infuriating, there is no risk of having to hear David Pleat’s voice.

I digress. The ‘football’ on Saturday was below par for a clash between two of the game’s heavyweights. There was none of the breath taking counter attacking that has become a hallmark of Brazil under Dunga in the last 18 months. The philosophy of ‘your corner is our attack’ wasn’t there. There were glimpses, but nothing whole hearted. Kaka oozed class, but was largely subdued. Rooney toiled, but even he is beginning to look a relaxed figure in friendly fixtures. The biggest disappointment, however, came from the bit part players. No one put their hand up and screamed ‘pick me, pick me, you have to!’ Gerrard, Lampard, Ferdinand, Terry, James, A. Cole, Johnson et al can sleep easy. Their seat on the plane to South Africa has been rubber-stamped by the ineptitude of their competition.

It’d be good to see England play Brazil in the knock-out stages of next year’s World Cup. Then we will see a game worth watching. I only hope that it’ll be on BBC.

Miles Reucroft