Canaries stopper Robert Green will have to be content with a place on the bench tonight as Sven-Goran Eriksson's B side play Belarus in their first pre-World Cup friendly match.
Canaries stopper Robert Green will have to be content with a place on the bench tonight as Sven-Goran Eriksson's B side play Belarus in their first pre-World Cup friendly match.
Eriksson has rested first choice keeper Paul Robinson, giving David James a start at the Madejski Stadium and leaving Green - who hasn't played a competitive match for almost seven weeks - on the sidelines with standby keeper Scott Carson.
However, if the England manager is true to form, Green should get his chance in the second half.
Michael Owen has been named captain and will partner Peter Crouch in attack while Arsenal pair Ashley Cole and
Sol Campbell start as they continue their return from injury. Jamie Carragher will partner Campbell in the centre of defence.
Owen Hargreaves will play at right-back to allow Eriksson to look closely at Michael Carrick and Jermaine Jenas in the centre of midfield. Aaron Lennon and Stewart Downing start on the wings.
Eriksson has named nine subs, including 17-year-old Theo Walcott, but can only use six. Carson is fit to take his place after missing two days training this week with a stomach upset.
Seven players will be rested - David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Gary Neville, Robinson, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand.
Eriksson trained with a full complement of 28 players at the England base in Hertfordshire yesterday, with only Wayne Rooney, who will undergo a scan on his broken foot today, missing.
England will play two more friendlies before their first World Cup game against Paraguay on June 10, against Hungary on May 30 and Jamaica on June 3, both at Old Trafford.
England B: James (Manchester City), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), A Cole (Arsenal), Carrick (Tottenham), Carragher (Liverpool), Campbell (Arsenal), Lennon (Tottenham), Jenas (Tottenham), Crouch (Liverpool), Owen (Newcastle), Downing (Middlesbrough).
Substitutes: Bridge (Chelsea), Green (Norwich), P Neville (Everton), Dawson (Tottenham), J Cole (Chelsea), Defoe (Tottenham), Johnson (Crystal Palace), Walcott (Arsenal), Carson (Liverpool).
(.) The match is being shown live on Sky Sports 1, beginning at 7.30pm (kick-off 8.05pm).
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