Capello has picked his England XI

10 June 2010 13:18

Fabio Capello has settled on his first XI for England's World Cup opener with the United States on Saturday.

The England boss confirmed he has chosen his starting goalkeeper, with much speculation over whether David James, Robert Green or Joe Hart will get the nod. After a knee injury ended captain Rio Ferdinand's hopes of playing in the tournament, the Italian is now praying his players will get through the final two days of preparation unscathed ahead of the Group C opener in Rustenburg.

Asked whether he had chosen his goalkeeper for the USA game, Capello told BBC Radio Five Live: "Yes, I've decided. I know the 11 that will play Saturday and I hope the next two days, during the training, all the players will be fit."

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Capello understands the expectation placed on his side, but insists he is calm, despite Wednesday's outburst at photographers at England's training complex at their Royal Bafokeng World Cup base.

"I'm relaxed," he added. "I can understand the pressure because in every moment we walk around you can see the security, the journalists, you can see when you move to golf, to safari, you need to police a lot of this.

"I understand that this is a really, really important moment for the country."

Capello believes England have improved immeasurably since his first match in charge against Switzerland in February 2008, having won 18 of his 24 matches in charge.

"Yes, they've improved a lot," he said.

"We found a spirit, different systems to play during the game, a lot of players know me better, but I think everything is different."

Source: PA