England v Slovenia Preview

England will bring Matthew Upson in to partner John Terry in central defence, in the absence of the suspended Jamie Carragher and injured Ledley King.

It is thought that England boss Fabio Capello will freshen up his starting line-up after two poor draws in their opening two matches. Emile Heskey looks the man most likely to be sacrificied, with either Joe Cole or Jermain Defoe coming into the starting XI.

Aaron Lennon looks set to retain his place on the right side of midfield, despite some unimpressive performances and Michael Carrick is fit again after suffering an ankle injury during training. However, Capello will keep his final team announcement under wraps until just before the match.

For Slovenia, defender Marko Suler is out with a rib injury, so Matej Mavric will come in at centre half.

Also out is forward Necj Pecnik who suffered a broken ankle in the match with the USA and has been flown back to Slovenia. Pecnik will be out for six months. With no less than four players a yellow card away from suspension and needing only a draw to go through, Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek could make a number of changes and try to stifle England’s attack.

KICK-OFF: WEDNESDAY JUNE 23rd 15:00 GMT

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Tags: capello, cole, England, Slovenia