England braced as Scolari eyes hat-trick

BADEN BADEN, Germany, June 30: Sven-Goran Eriksson gets his last chance as England coach to outsmart Luiz Felipe Scolari in tomorrow World Cup quarter-final with Portugal after twice coming off second best.

The teams meet in Gelsenkirchen for a game that promises a heady mixture of pride, ambition and revenge for the playing and coaching staff alike.

For England's players, it is a chance to reach their first World Cup semi-final since Italia 90 and settle a score with Scolari's men, who outplayed them as hosts of Euro 2004 in a quarter-final decided on penalties.

Eriksson, who leaves his job after the finals, wants to avoid a hat-trick of tournament defeats by Scolari, who also masterminded his native Brazil's quarter-final win over England at the 2002 World Cup.

Scolari will also have his own agenda, having decided two months ago to break off talks with the Football Association about succeeding Eriksson in the England job.

Victory would be a form of vindication of that abrupt decision, taken after a modest bout of media intrusion.

For Portugal, who lost the Euro 2004 final to Greece, there is the prospect of an even greater prize -- especially as two key midfielders would return from suspension for a semi-final.

Playmaker Deco and holding player Costinha, who won the 2004 Champions League with Porto at Gelsenkirchen, will miss out on Saturday after red cards in a tumultuous second round win over Netherlands.

As if the match needed any extra spice, England forward Wayne Rooney will face Portugal two years after limping out of that Euro 2004 game in Lisbon with a broken bone in his foot.

This time, Rooney broke his foot well in advance of today's game and should last 90 minutes, if not longer.

The 20-year-old, who established his international reputation in Portugal, went the distance in a 1-0 second-round win over Ecuador after suffering the injury on April 29.

Rooney is preparing to be a lone striker again on Saturday, as Eriksson again opts for a five-man midfield.

With England needing to break up Portugal's flowing, possession football, Eriksson is expected to prefer the rasping tackles of Owen Hargreaves in the holding role.

Deco's duties should pass to Luis Figo, who famously ripped England's defence to shreds in Portugal's 3-2 victory at Euro 2000 after they trailed 2-0.

Scolari will hope Rooney's Manchester United team mate Cristiano Ronaldo recovers from a thigh injury and he could be deployed on the left flank where he would face United colleague Gary Neville, due to return at right back after a calf injury.

It will not be a game for the faint-hearted and, given the card-happy refereeing at these finals, much could depend on the attitude of Argentina's Horacio Elizondo, who dismissed Beckham in the World Club Cup Championship in 2000.

Probable teams England (4-5-1): 1-Paul Robinson; 2-Gary Neville, 5-Rio Ferdinand, 6-John Terry, 3-Ashley Cole; 7-David Beckham, 8-Frank Lampard, 16-Owen Hargreaves, 4-Steven Gerrard, 11-Joe Cole; 9-Wayne Rooney Portugal (4-5-1): 1-Ricardo; 13-Miguel, 16-Ricardo Carvalho, 5-Fernando Meira, 14-Nuno Valente; 8-Armando Petit, 18-Maniche, 11-Simao Sabrosa, 7-Luis Figo, 17-Cristiano Ronaldo; 9-Pauleta Referee: Horacio Elizondo (Argentina)

REUTERS

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