Kevin Keegan's England go into their play-off off against Scotland trusting that the opposition overlook the fact that his squad contains only one specialised full back, Phil Neville.
Whatever team Keegan picks for the first game at Hampden Park a week tomorrow, England will clearly be leaning heavily on the form and fitness of at least nine players from Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Middlesbrough.
Even so, and despite the chronic lack of left backs, the England coach has refrained from recalling the 35-year-old Nigel Winterburn.
Instead Keegan has gone for another left-winger cum wingback, Coventry City's Steve Froggatt, whose burgeoning career at Aston Villa was blighted by injuries before Graham Taylor signed him a second time after taking over at Wolves.
The 26-year-old Froggatt's present form, according to Keegan, "is as good as I've ever seen from him". The Coventry player made two appearances for England under-21, the second of them against Spain in Burgos in 1992.
His initial role will be to give Keegan an option on the left side. "He could be the answer, along with two or three others," the coach said. "He can play left wing-back or left-sided midfield."
Keegan's limited choice in defence may well force him to employ three centre-halves unless he uses Phil Neville at right back with a makeshift full back on the other side. He may prefer to have Martin Keown, Tony Adams and Campbell playing behind David Beckham, Jamie Redknapp, Paul Ince, Paul Scholes and Steve Guppy with Shearer and Michael Owen up front, provided Owen is fully match fit.
Owen has Liverpool's game against Derby County at Anfield tomorrow to prove he is ready. But Scholes, who needs a hernia operation, has already passed muster. "He was inspired against Aston Villa last Saturday," Keegan enthused.
Craig Brown's announcement of his squad was overshadowed by the news that David Johnson is ineligible to play for Scotland. The Ipswich striker was expected to be named in Brown's squad.
Instead Johnson's international career is in limbo after the Scottish Football Association found out the Jamaican born player's natural mother is English and that he can only play for England of the home countries.
For Colin Hendry, however, the dream lives on even though he is out of favour at Rangers and suffering from a knee injury. Hendry has been sidelined since damaging an ankle in action for Scotland against Bosnia at Ibrox last month. The 33-year-old must now prove his fitness on Monday night in an under-21 Old Firm derby at Livingston.
Brown is optimistic his captain will make it but stressed: "Colin is very important to us, but we have a lot of other inspirational people in the group. "We have got excellent leaders throughout the squad, such as Paul Lambert and John Collins in midfield as well as Kevin Gallacher up front, who is another experienced player."
The BBC will screen the whole of the Euro 2000 play-off first leg between England and Scotland at Hampden Park next Saturday after the final whistle. Sky Sports 2 will show the game live. Sky and ITV have already gained the rights to show the second leg at Wembley live four days later.
SCOTLAND (squad v England, November 13th (Hampden) and 17th (Wembley) - Doug- las (Dundee), Gould (Celtic), Main (St Johnstone), Sullivan (Wimbledon); Calderwood (Aston Villa), Dailly (Blackburn), Hendry (Rangers), McNamara (Celtic), O'Neil (Wolfsburg), Ritchie (Hearts), Weir (Everton); Burley (Celtic), Cameron (Hearts), Collins (Everton), Davidson (Blackburn), Durrant (Kilmarnock), Ferguson (Rangers), Hutchison (Everton), Lambert (Celtic); Burchill (Celtic), Dodds (Dundee Utd), Gallacher (Newcastle), McCann (Rangers), McSwegan (Hearts).
ENGLAND: Seaman (Arsenal), Martyn (Leeds), Walker (Tottenham), Campbell (Tottenham), Adams (Arsenal), Keown (Arsenal), Southgate (Aston Villa), R Ferdinand (West Ham), Froggatt (Coventry), Sinclair (West Ham), P Neville (Man Utd), Guppy (Leicester), Ince (Middlesbrough), Wise (Chelsea), Redknapp (Liverpool), Parlour (Arsenal), Beckham (Man Utd), Scholes (Man Utd), McManaman (Liverpool), Heskey (Leicester), Shearer (Newcastle), Phillips (Sunderland), Owen (Liverpool), Cole (Man Utd).
