dont know if this is already up if it is sorry
fifawouldcup.comDavid meets Goliath on 13 June in Kaiserslautern. Trinidad and Tobago, the smallest-ever country in terms of population to compete at a FIFA World Cup™, square up to the mighty England of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen et al.
On paper, it should really be no contest. Sven-Goran Eriksson boasts some of the world’s top players in his squad, while many of Leo Beenhakker’s first-choice picks are either operating in the lower echelons of English football or languishing on the bench at their Scottish clubs.
Sweden, however, will testify to the fact that the Soca Warriors more than live up to their combative nickname, and Eriksson and his players will doubtless have been impressed with the Caribbeans’ resolute defending in a hard-fought 0-0 draw with the Scandinavians.
Colours for the gameEngland: white shirt, navy blue shorts, white socks
Trinidad and Tobago: red shirts, red shorts, red socks
The playersEngland's main injury concern ahead of the match centres on Gary Neville, with the Manchester United defender considered doubtful due to a calf injury. Elsewhere in the squad, British bookmakers had stopped taking bets on Wayne Rooney playing in this match after Eriksson claimed to be “optimistic” about the prospect. Subsequent reports have, however, played down hopes of an ahead-of-schedule comeback for the talismanic 20-year-old, although a training ground injury to Theo Walcott could yet open the door for a late Rooney cameo. Today, Eriksson declared the striker "match-fit". Make of that what you will.
Beenhakker, meanwhile, is likely to keep faith with Shaka Hislop in goal even if initial first-choice Kelvin Jack recovers from the injury he picked up during the warm-up for the Sweden match. Marvin Andrews' persistent knee problems also continue to cause concern, and with the Soca Warriors having defended so well in their opening match, it is unlikely that the powerful Rangers centre-half will be risked.
The story so farThe first round of matches left England peering down on their Group B rivals, but Eriksson’s men were not fully convincing in their 1-0 win over Paraguay, particularly during a staid second half. Trinidad and Tobago certainly rode their luck at times in the goalless draw with Sweden, but they might also have snatched all three points with a Glenn Cornell drive that crashed back off the face of the crossbar and they will take great heart from their defensive solidity.
Key contestIt has been described as the ‘battle of the beanpoles’, with 6ft 7in Peter Crouch coming up against the equally towering Dennis Lawrence. If Lawrence can prevent the England target man from winning his flick-ons and holding up play, Michael Owen could find himself isolated in attack and, without Rooney, Eriksson’s side may struggle to come up with an effective Plan B.
"I can understand why people are looking at the two of us because we are both big guys,” said the giant defender, “but I have played against people almost as big as Crouch before and it's not a problem for me."
The Liverpool striker, for his part, has vowed not to change his whole-hearted approach, this despite the fact that he is now walking a suspension tightrope after picking up a yellow card against Paraguay. "It was a worry to pick up a booking,” he admitted, “but I'm not going to change my game, although I may have to adapt a bit."
Past meetingsKaiserslautern will witness a first, with these two sides never having met before in an international fixture.
What they thinkJoe Cole (ENG): They (Trinidad and Tobago) showed they can compete against Sweden, who were some people's dark horses to win the tournament with world-class players. We're in a tough group and to get the start we did was marvellous.
Stern John (TRI): We know the England game will be very tough but we ground out a result against Sweden and hopefully we can build on it. We won some fans in our opening match and that was important.
