Sport

World Cup Qualifying Previews
ANDORRA VS ENGLAND
(World Cup 2010 Qualifier, Saturday 6 September, 8PM, Setanta Sports 1)
Like a mafia Godfather at his daughter's wedding, it's time for Fabio Capello to leave the music and dancing behind, lock himself in his office and get down to serious business. The friendlies are over. It's time for real competition.
England - as ever - expects. But with the World Cup qualifying campaign about to get underway, has Don Capello got his methods over to his players in time?
Ex-England skipper and one-time "Captain Marvel" Bryan Robson chats to ZOO about his concerns and whether the recent gloom surrounding the England side is here to stay...
Much has been made of the poor performance against the Czech Republic. How concerned were you?
Yeah, it was disappointing. We didn't have any cohesion, but it is a tough time with the players only having played one competitive league game for their clubs before the Czech friendly. But we definitely do need to improve.
Where, specifically?
Retention of the ball must be a lot better, as must the pace of the team. In midfield and up front, there just isn't enough pace.
Aren't these problems that remain from Sven Goran Eriksson's time in charge?
Yeah. You need players to come through who force change. We need a few young lads to be given the chance to develop on the international scene. The back four looks solid, but the balance in midfield has to be addressed.
By balance, you must mean Stevie G playing out on the left?
He is one of the our best players and he must be played in his best position. The same goes for Wayne Rooney. He must be played in behind the main striker.
Is it frustrating that Fabio Capello has had five games to sort this out, but hasn't?
It is. He's experimented plenty but the fact is, he hasn't changed anything and that's a massive worry. The Croats are a decent side and they won't be too worried about facing England - and that's rare.
l Soccer Aid is on 7 September on ITV1. For ticket information please call 0871 230 7148 or visit www.itv.com/socceraid
MACEDONIA VS SCOTLAND
(World Cup Qualifier 2010, Saturday 6 September, 4.30PM, Setanta Sports 1)
Like Capello with England, George Burley finally gets his teeth into competitive international football. But unlike the Anglicised Italian, Burley takes over a nation whose footballing feelgood factor is sky-high. The ex-Ipswich, Southampton and Hearts boss will hope the form that saw the Scots get tantalisingly close to Euro 2008 continues under his stewardship.
WALES VS AZERBAIJAN
(World Cup Qualifier 2010, Saturday 6 September, 3PM, Sky Sports 1)
John Toshack is (some would say fortunately) into his fourth year in his second stint as Wales boss. There is, however, little sign that this will be a more successful campaign. His squad is weak, morale is low and results look like they will be exceptionally hard to come by - so much so that even this home visit from Azerbaijan appears tough...
SLOVAKIA VS NORTHERN IRELAND
(World Cup Qualifier 2010, Saturday 6 September, 4.30PM, Setanta Sports 2)
Northern Irish football finds itself in a strange position. For the past few years, expectations have been massively raised by some great results (especially at home). But while Nigel Worthington's men clearly have a lot of heart, they will do well to get any change from a group that includes not only a tough Slovak team, but also the Czech Republic and Poland.
PUB FACT: John Toshack turned down the Liverpool managerial job twice - once in 1991 and again in 1997
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