One of the most fancied teams in Germany, England will open their FIFA World Cup™ campaign against Group B rivals Paraguay on 10 June. Sven-Goran Eriksson’s men will start off as favourites at the FIFA World Cup Stadium Frankfurt but should not underestimate opponents aiming to advance to the knockout rounds for the third successive time.
England are confident Steven Gerrard will play after he joined in training on Friday despite a back complaint. Gerrard trained apart from the rest of the players but England's coaching team believe he will be fit for Saturday.
Striker Wayne Rooney had a successful scan on his broken foot on Wednesday and despite a return to full training on Thursday, he will not feature.
Paraguay striker Roque Santa Cruz has declared himself fit to play after recovering from a knee injury.
Head-to-heads
England and Paraguay have met each other twice before. In 1986, England won 3-0 at the second round stage of the World Cup in Mexico. Gary Lineker scored twice and Peter Beardsley got the other. In 2002, England beat Paraguay 4-0, this time in a friendly international.
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