Capello is set to name his squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Andorra tomorrow evening, knowing he will definitely be without five of the 23 players he wanted to choose, with major doubts over a number of others.

Confirmation yesterday that Manchester City's Shaun Wright-Phillips will miss out with a knee injury compounded a bad few days on the injury front for Capello.

Phil Jagielka and Stewart Downing are also missing, while the goalkeeping situation is even worse now David James and Ben Foster have succumbed to shoulder surgery and a broken thumb respectively.

Little wonder neither Capello, nor assistant Franco Baldini will watch any of his prospective goalkeepers in action tomorrow as Robert Green, Scott Carson and Paul Robinson finish off their campaigns.

While Green must be regarded as first-choice given he has been a regular in Capello's recent squads and earned a substitute appearance in Spain earlier this year, the other two would hardly be chosen with confidence.

Even Manchester City boss Mark Hughes concedes it would be a bold step to include his goalkeeper Joe Hart, who has not played a first-team game for the Blues since Shay Given moved south from Newcastle in January.

"On talent and ability, he must come into consideration," said the former Wales coach.

"But, ideally, from a manager's point of view, you want people who have been playing at a good level."

However, should anything happen to the other three, Hart may well be elevated from under-21 duty, unless another former Given deputy Steve Harper shoots himself into contention by helping Newcastle stay up at Aston Villa, which is Capello's preferred viewing this weekend.

It is more likely the Italian is pondering a recall for Villa's Ashley Young given Downing is out, while Gabriel Agbonlahor needs to produce a decent performance to edge out Carlton Cole, given team-mate Emile Heskey has become such an integral member of the new-look England squad.

Curtis Davies is another Villa man Capello will be watching closely with Jagielka missing, although Michael Mancienne and Micah Richards are other alternatives, as is Nedum Onuoha, who has been tipped in many quarters to receive his first call-up.

The other spot for Capello to fill is midfield, where James Milner could potentially be part of a six-strong Villa Park contingent.

Capello has achieved such an element of consistency within his squads recently that it is hard to imagine who else might force their way in, although, given the strength of the opposition, it would be a major disappointment if England did not extend their winning start to seven matches in Group Six.

Such a scenario would see them head towards the key confrontation with Croatia at Wembley next September already virtually guaranteed a spot in the 32-team finals in South Africa.