England vs Holland - Match Preview
Caretaker manager Stuart Pearce takes charge of his first England match tonight for the international friendly against Holland at Wembley Stadium.
Caretaker manager Stuart Pearce takes charge of his first England match tonight for the international friendly against Holland at Wembley Stadium. The match has a 7.45pm kick-off and will be screened live in the UK on ITV 1. Team news ahead of tonight's game... Pearce has chosen Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Scott Parker to captain the side, replacing Chelsea's John Terry who was stripped of the role by the FA earlier this month. This was of course the decision that Capello's public disagreement of cost him his job as manager and his resignation just days later was accepted by the FA. Obviously Parker will center the midfield tonight, possibly alongside Steven Gerrard who was snubbed for the captaincy or Gareth Barry. Pearce will be unable to call upon Wayne Rooney (throat infection), Aston Villa's Darren Bent (ruptured ankle ligaments) for his attack line with Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge and Manchester United's Danny Welbeck likely to make their first senior starts for the national side. Sunderland's Fraizer Campbell will likely come on for the first time sometime during the match. Withdrawls by Spurs defender Kyle Walker (ankle), Glen Johnson and Tom Cleverley (foot) mean they won't feature tonight. For Holland, Spurs playmaker Rafeael Van Der Vaart pulled out of the squad this week and won't feature. Robin Van Persie (groin) is a huge doubt after picking up the injury in training. Premier League could be represented by Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt, Man City's Nigel de Jong, Everton's Johnny Heitinga and Newcastle keeper Tim Krul.