Rooney

Baden-Baden: Sven-Goran Eriksson gets his last chance as England coach to outsmart Luiz Felipe Scolari in Saturday’s World Cup quarter final with Portugal in Gelsenkirchen after twice coming off second best.

For England’s players, it is a chance to reach their first World Cup semi-final since Italia 90 and settle a score with Scolari’s men.

Eriksson, who leaves his job after the finals, wants to avoid a hattrick of tournament defeats by Scolari, who also masterminded his native Brazil’s quarter-final win over England at the 2002 World Cup.

Scolari will also have his own agenda, having decided two months ago to break off talks with the Football Association about succeeding Eriksson in the England job.

Playmaker Deco and holding player Costinha will miss out on Saturday after red cards in a tumultuous second-round win over The Netherlands.

As if the match needed any extra spice, England forward Wayne Rooney will face Portugal two years after limping out of that Euro 2004 game in Lisbon with a broken bone in his foot. This time, Rooney broke his foot well in advance of Saturday’s game and should last 90 minutes, if not longer.

With England needing to break up Portugal’s flowing, possession football, Eriksson is expected to prefer the rasping tackles of Owen Hargreaves in the holding role.

Midfielder Frank Lampard will play after shaking off a twisted ankle, Eriksson said on Friday

Deco’s duties should pass to Luis Figo, who famously ripped England’s defence to shreds in Portugal’s 3-2 victory at Euro 2000 after they trailed 0-2.

Scolari will hope Rooney’s Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo recovers from a thigh injury and he could be deployed on the left flank where he would face United colleague Gary Neville, due to return at right back after a calf injury.

Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Scolari was typically vague about whether the winger, who missed training on Friday, would play the match. “He may play, he may not. I know, I don’t know. I have no idea if he will be able to play or not,” he said.

Spokesman Afonso Melo said Ronaldo was still not totally fit. “If he’s not 100 percent fit, Scolari won’t play him,” he said.

Meanwhile in Berlin, Fifa spokesman Markus Siegler said on Friday that England will play Portugal under a closed roof at the AufShchalke.

PROBABLE TEAMS

England: 1-Paul Robinson; 2-Gary Neville, 5-Rio Ferdinand, 6-John Terry, 3-Ashley Cole; 7-David Beckham, 8-Frank Lampard, 16-Owen Hargreaves, 4-Steven Gerrard, 11-Joe Cole; 9-Wayne Rooney.

Portugal: 1-Ricardo; 13-Miguel, 16-Ricardo Carvalho, 5-Fernando Meira, 14-Nuno Valente; 8-Armando Petit, 18-Maniche, 11-Simao Sabrosa, 7-Luis Figo, 17-Cristiano Ronaldo; 9-Pauleta. (Reuters)

WORLD CUP VITAL STATS

ENGLAND
Total appearances — 12 (1950 to 2006)
Champions — 1 (1966)
4th place — 1 (1990)
Quarter finals — 6 (1954, 1962, 1970, 1986, 2002, 2006*)
2nd round — 2 (1982, 1998)
1st round — 2 (1950, 1958)
Did not play — 6 (1930, 1934, 1938, 1974, 1978. 1994)

PORTUGAL
Total appearances — 4 (1966 to 2006)
3rd place — 1 (1966)
Quarter final — 1 (2006*)
1st round — 2 (1986, 2002)
Did not play — 14 (1930, 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998)

HEAD-TO-HEAD

In World Cups
July 26, 1966: England bt Portugal 2-1 in London (semi-final)
June 3, 1986: England lost to Portugal 0-1 in Monterrey (first round)

Last 5 games
April 22, 1998: England bt Portugal 3-0 in London (friendly)
June 12, 2000: England lost to Portugal 2-3 in Eindhoven (Euro 2000)
Sept. 7, 2002: England drew Portugal 1-1 in Birmingham (friendly)
Feb. 18, 2004: England drew Portugal 1-1 in Loule (friendly)
June 24, 2004: England lost to Portugal 5-6 via tie-breaker in Lisbon (Euro 2004)

Compiled by Mohandas Menon