Bulgaria v England: Big Match Preview

Bulgaria v England: Live Team Sheet

By Mark Bollons  September 02, 2011

Bulgaria v England;
Euro 2012 qualifier, Group G;
Vasil Levski, Sofia
19:15 BST KO

LIVE TEAM SHEET

England: Hart, Smalling, Cahill, Terry, Cole; Walcott, Parker, Barry, Downing; Young, Rooney.

 

Terry: England expects

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England captain John Terry is ready and waiting to lead the Three Lions into action against Bulgaria tonight, in what is a crucial European Qualifier for Fabio Capello's men.

Sitting joint top of Group G alongside Montenegro, the Chelsea defender knows the international side can't afford to slip-up in Sofia following earlier draws against Switzerland and the aforementioned Hrabri sokoli.

Despite a 4-0 victory against Lothar Matthaus' side almost a year ago to the day, Terry is well aware that the opposition will provide a very different challenge on home soil, and England will have to be on their guard if they are to collect three points and bring them back to Wembley.

"It will be tough, but we'll be fully ready and prepared for the game. Bulgaria's obviously going to be a very hostile place to go," said the centre back.

"By the time we kick-off, we'll know everything we need to know and how they play and their strengths and weaknesses. The manager prepares extensively for every game, so come kick-off we'll be ready."

Reinstated as captain by Capello back in March, Terry is full of praise for the preparation that the Italian makes ahead of every England match.

"He goes into a lot of depth. Our preparation first and foremost is to worry about our own formation and tactics," he continued.

"As the week goes on we start to look at videos of our opponents and how they are likely to play, and then start to focus on the individuals. First and foremost though, we concentrate on how we're going to play."

Given the previous victory against Bulgaria, and the 2-0 win against Wales at the Millenium Stadium, it would be easy for the Three Lions to look beyond the forthcoming fixtures and towards a trip to Montenegro on October 7th.

However, the skipper insists the players will be focused on the task at hand, with thoughts not allowed to focus on anything other than two wins come Tuesday night.

"I think we all know on paper we're a better side than Wales, but they can still come to Wembley and make it difficult for us. We just have to be patient and the fans have to be patient - and, as long as we keep our focus and play the way we can, it'll be okay," he concluded in an interview with Sport magazine.

"We drew our last game and Montenegro did the same, so we cant be looking too far ahead. If we can beat Bulgaria and Wales, we'll be six points closer to qualification."