Capello to be without Ferdinand for Andorra
ENGLAND could all but guarantee their place at next summer’s World Cup with victory over Andorra on Wednesday – but they will have to do so without defender Rio Ferdinand.
Head coach Fabio Capello had hoped to have the Manchester United player available for their second group six match within four days, having rested him for Saturday’s 4-0 triumph in Kazakhstan.
But Ferdinand, 30, yesterday conceded defeat in his battle to shake off a calf injury, meaning Matthew Upson could again partner captain John Terry at the heart of England’s back four. Midfielder Gareth Barry, who scored the opener in Almaty at the weekend, will also miss the visit of Andorra to Wembley, through suspension.
Though both are pivotal players in Capello’s first choice XI, neither’s absence should prevent England from recording their seventh win from seven qualifiers. Andorra, ranked 196th in the world, have lost all six of their group matches in the current campaign and have just one win to their name in 57 qualifying matches.
England’s qualification for next year’s finals in South Africa cannot be rubber-stamped until next month, when second-placed Croatia meet third-placed Belarus. Although three points in midweek will leave England in a virtually unassailable position, Terry is keen that the team maintain their improvement as the tournament draws near.
“We are playing really well and are well on the way to where we want to be. But there’s no point in us being at the very top now and in a year’s time from now not being where we want to be,” he said. “We are slowly progressing in terms of our fitness, our tactical play, our awareness of each other and what we are doing collectively as a team. There are still improvements to be made.”