Eriksson looks to lead England to survival in Germany

The biggest match of World Cup qualifying in Europe so far pits two recovering giants of the world game against each other in Group 9 as England and Germany renew a long standing rivalry, this time in Munich.

Both countries are trying to recover from recent problems but the German win at Wembley last October still haunts England's prospects of winning an automatic place.

That defeat means England must now win and Germany have only lost one World Cup qualifier at home in more than sixty years.

Other European countries are leaving these two behind as far as skill and tactics are concerned and the teams are only now fielding the younger talent many had expected to see far sooner.

Unreliable defences and attacks could make for a much more exciting game tomorrow than many imagine if few goals seem likely.

The game could go one of two ways then. A goal studded end-to-end attacking game as both teams ignore their weak defending or the more likely nervous encounter from two teams who play with similar attitudes but not much imagination.

English preparations for the game have been dominated by the groin strain suffered by David Beckham and it is very hard to see the England captain surviving the full game.

The Manchester United's star's fitness has distracted the English press corp from noting that Bayern Munich midfielder Mehmet Scholl, Jens Jeremies, Jorg Heinrich, Marco Bode and Carsten Ramelow are all injured for the home team in theory providing England with a good chance.

But England have not beaten Germany in a competitive match since 1966 at the World Cup and a draw is realistically what England will play for if they can.

The chance to get into a play-off against Belarus or Ukraine is more than many dared hope for after the October 1st defeat by Germany that started their World Cup campaign.

But England have improved a little under new coach Sven Goran Eriksson and in Steven Gerrard have one of the truly exceptional midfielders currently in European football.

Finding a pattern for the talent of Gerrard, Owen, Ferdinand and others to flourish not to mention a system to bring the best out of Scholes and Beckham is beyond coach Eriksson at the moment. There is real cause to believe that his England regime would benefit from the friendlies ahead of a place in Japan and Korea next summer to try and find the four outfield players to blend with the real stars of the team.

At the moment Eriksson has to rely on the functional and this is what Germany are best at.

The Germans have a system and stick to it. At the highest level it is rare these days to have skill decide matches as often as the tiny variations in tactical emphasis do. This is where England traditionally lose out with backward thinking and blatant errors and Eriksson's spell in charge of the team is meant to end that trend for good.

Germany know their defence will be of little use against the speed of Michael Owen and the great crosses from David Beckham so they may rely on the inability of the English team to set up chances for their two stars to be at their most effective.

Germany have the edge in passing ability but not by much and Voller favours a more direct style but the Germans now have to rely on an untried attacking partnership following the loss of form from Oliver Bierhoff.

Carsten Jancker could start and other than AS Monaco's new signing, the German squad boasts forwards with respectable Bundesliga records but who are not first choice strikers for their clubs. Miroslav Klose (Kaiserslautern), Oliver Neuville (Bayer Leverkusen) and Alexander Zickler (Bayern Munich) are not rated in the same class as their England counterparts but they are the front end of an organised team.

Eriksson's men will be expecting a one dimensional target man but Jancker's crude technique hides a great ability to improvise a finish in tight situations and he is always willing to shoot.

What he will be shooting at is ageing goalkeeper David Seaman.

The Arsenal star can unsettle his entire defence with misjudgement of crosses and poor handling. His remaining time in the England goal is limited and his problem at reading quick free kicks has resurfaced recently with Arsenal.

With Seaman now unreliable and Sol Campbell out of form and a burden to Rio Ferdinand in defence the English passing game is not going to be a serious threat to the Germans. It has been a long term problem for England coaches and resurfaced in the defeat by Holland two weeks ago. The inability of the England team to keep the ball at top level means they struggle and set pieces could be their best chance tomorrow night.

Much then depends on midfield where David Beckham's crosses to the front players offer England the best chance of success. Any failure by Beckham and Paul Scholes to provide chances for forwards and make the play for Eriksson means the Germans could enjoy long spells with the ball.

Scholes is a key figure. He can pass and score goals but the responsibility to create is now shared with Nick Barmby likely to figure on the left wing and Steven Gerrard in the centre of midfield. But if Germany cut the supply line the pair of Andy Cole and Michael Owen will struggle.

Owen remains much the same player who became a star at the World Cup two years ago but England no longer have the ability to put the ball where he needs it. Owen will probably be the only English player at times in the opposition penalty area as Cole lacks confidence and cannot be considered a threat unless he gets into the front of attacking moves.

The crossing of Deisler and Christian Ziege could well undo this England team as the group nine leaders look for the win they need to ensure qualification.