Friendly will let England players stake a World Cup claim

Those who have made Fabio Capello's 30-man provisional World Cup squad must be getting pretty nervous right now. Tonight England take on Mexico in a friendly at Wembley and it gives the hopefuls a chance to impress.

True, it's highly unlikely Capello will pick a player based on just one game, but a good performance at the national stadium could back-up opinions the manager has formed during training sessions, while a poor showing could plant the seeds of doubt in his mind.

Of course, there's one situation nobody wants to see - an injury to either a Mexico or England player. However, given the current state of the Wembley turf it's highly likely those who take to the pitch will look like Bambi on ice. It's would be horrible if England's World Cup odds where dented in this manner.

For that reason then, you can expect England and Mexico's big names to take it easy, knowing they're already on the plane. The lesser players are less likely to hold back.