Eng face tough Croatia test

2008-09-09 19:44

Zagreb, Croatia - Fabio Capello faces his first real test as England coach when his team plays old adversary Croatia in a tricky World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.

"I never think about the past, I always think about the future," Capello said on Tuesday, referring to the pair of qualification losses against Croatia that effectively knocked England out of the 2008 European Championships.

"This is a different game, different players and a different manager," he said, adding that he was looking for a positive result. "I never play for a draw, my idea is always to win."

The Italian has so far led England only in friendlies and in Saturday's stuttering 2-0 win over lowly Andorra in the first qualifier for the 2010 World Cup.

Croatia have never lost a home competitive game, but Capello said this may change.

"We know they never lost at home," Capello said. "But I'm happy that we are playing away because England is not playing with confidence when playing at home."

England will be missing key midfielder Steven Gerrard, who underwent groin surgery late last month.

Back and neck injuries

England's defensive stability could be partially satisfied by the return of central defender Rio Ferdinand. The Manchester United player missed the Andorra match because of back and neck injuries, but has returned to training.

Against Andorra, England looked better with the introduction of Emile Heskey and Joe Cole. Capello still has to decide whether to start with Cole, who came off the bench at half-time against Andorra to score the two goals.

It was the second time that Cole had bailed out Capello after scoring a last-gasp equalizer in a friendly against the Czech Republic at Wembley last month.

"Yes, I have got to think about Joe. He is very good for himself at the moment and very good for us," Capello said. "But, I have to decide what the first 11 will be against Croatia. It will be another game, and it will be a different sort of game."

Captain John Terry acknowledged that England would be happy with a draw.

"A draw would be a good result for us, but we came here to win," Terry said on Tuesday. "We have great respect for Croatia, but we are not fearing (them). We are in better shape than when we played them a year ago."

- AP