LONDON: England will begin their preparations for next year’s World Cup in Brazil when they welcome in-form Chile to London for a friendly at Wembley Stadium on Friday.
England have not lost a game in 2013, but Chile are on a nine-match unbeaten run and finished third in South American qualifying after a storming conclusion to their campaign.
Despite the strength of the opposition, England manager Roy Hodgson is expected to hand opportunities to several fringe players for the first match since his side booked their place in Brazil.
England will play only three friendly matches before Hodgson names his squad for the World Cup and it is thought he will save his strongest starting XI for Tuesday’s game against old foes Germany.
Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster may be handed his first cap in place of Joe Hart, while Hodgson could also give starts to uncapped Southampton pair Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez.
Another player hoping for a chance to shine is Manchester United defender Phil Jones, who is one of several players bidding to nail down a place in the squad.
“Every game is a massive game. You have got to perform and hopefully we can do that in the two games coming up,” said Jones.
“Chile will be technically a good team, they will pass the ball well and present a good challenge for us.
“Germany have world-class players in their ranks so we will have our work cut out against them, but I am sure we will put on a good performance.”
Steven Gerrard’s hip injury means that Frank Lampard will captain England and the Chelsea midfielder is also set to be presented with a commemorative golden cap for making 100 international appearances.
Tottenham Hotspur right-back Kyle Walker has also been ruled out of the game, while Manchester United pair Michael Carrick and Danny Welbeck both had to withdraw from the squad due to injury.
For the visitors, Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal is a doubt with a thigh strain, but Barcelona star Alexis Sanchez is in line to spearhead the attack after scoring eight goals in his last eight games for club and country.
Coincidentally, England and Chile first played against each other at a World Cup in Brazil, with England winning 2-0 in a group-stage match in Rio de Janeiro at the 1950 tournament.
Their last encounter occurred at the old Wembley in 1998 and saw Chile prevail 2-0 thanks to a memorable brace from striker Marcelo Salas, who scored with a stunning volley and a self-won penalty.
“That game is historic for Chile. It was something amazing, what Marcelo did,” Sanchez told a press conference at Wembley on Wednesday. — AFP