With Rio Ferdinand still recovering from injury and John Terry also out, Upson seems set to keep hold of his spot as chief reserve despite a poor World Cup showing, the nadir of which was England's humiliation by Germany. Assuming he gets the nod, the West Ham centre-half should come up against former Manchester City striker Bojinov, whose spell in England was blighted by injury. Capable of moments of brilliance, the Parma striker too often flatters to deceive.

STEVEN GERRARD V STILIYAN PETROV

Despite Fabio Capello's apparent desire to ring the changes following the feeble World Cup campaign, the big names who let England down are still very much first on the team sheet. Gerrard is one of them, and is likely to feature somewhere in the middle at Wembley where he will come up against Aston Villa captain Petrov. The steady midfielder divides opinion at Villa Park, criticised for his lack of dynamism but hailed by others for his cool-headed leadership qualities.

WAYNE ROONEY V ILIAN STOYANOV

Like Gerrard and Upson, Rooney was a huge let-down during the summer showpiece and further sullied his reputation with a sneering rant aimed at England fans on live television. In club colours he has perked up somewhat with Manchester United but all eyes will be on him as he returns to competitive international action. Rooney will come up against veteran stopper Ilian Stoyanov, a pedestrian but solid centre-back who remains a key figure despite being exiled in Japan with Sanfrecce Hiroshima for the last three years.