Stuart Pearce believes his depleted England Under-21s have the strength in depth to get the result needed against Romania on Tuesday afternoon to secure a place in next summer's European Championship finals.
England travelled to Botosani to defend their 2-1 lead from the first-leg without Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, who stayed behind to link up with the seniors for their Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro at Wembley.
Marc Albrighton, Micah Richards, Alex Smithies and Kieran Gibbs are also unavailable, but Pearce said: "To have Jack Wilshere with the senior squad is very good for the Under-21s, and whenever a player has the opportunity to be with the senior team that must take precedent. But we have some good players to take his place, so hopefully we will not miss him."
Pearce took England to the final of the last European Championships in Sweden, where a squad which included Theo Walcott, James Milner and Adam Johnson missed out on the title after a 4-0 defeat against Germany.
With expectations high for the latest set of home-grown talent, Pearce knows the importance of having the chance to showcase England's potential once again in Denmark next summer.
"I know the Romania coach feels as though he has a very good squad of players, the same as we do with the English Under-21s," he said.
"If either team miss out and don't go to the tournament, it [disappointment] will be the same for both nations."
Source: PA
