England Vow to Turn on Heat as Trinidad Eye Upset

Thursday's clash between the tiny Caribbean nation and England -- who failed to impress with a drab 1-0 win over Paraguay -- will see David Beckham reunited with former Manchester United colleague Dwight Yorke who will captain Trinidad and Tobago.

"Yorke is a good friend and has been for many years," said Beckham. "He's not just a great person but one of the best players around. Yorkie has always been a threat to any defenders, any team he comes up against."

But friendships will count for nothing once the ball gets rolling.

Acknowledging their listless show against Paraguay in their first group game, Beckham has pledged that England will lift their game against the Caribbean nation in Nuremberg Thursday to advance into the second round of the World Cup.

"We do want to perform, we do want to excite, and we want to prove to people that we can play at this level and we can perform like the likes of Brazil, Argentina, Holland or Italy," the Real Madrid star said. "There's no doubt in mind that we can do it."

England's players are anxious to put the disappointment of the Paraguay match behind them, when they wilted in the heat and looked like anything but world champions-in-waiting.

A win over Trinidad's "Soca Warriors" would be enough to see England into the last 16 and leave them favorites to qualify as winners of Group B.

But Beckham has warned that England won't be complacent about their encounter with the smallest nation ever to participate in the World Cup.

"Trinidad and Tobago will be physically ready," said Beckham. "The result against Sweden might have surprised some people but not me. They are a tough team, and there will be a lot of respect on the pitch for us to them and them to us."

England pins hopes on Owen

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson had been reported to be considering introducing Wayne Rooney from the substitutes bench against Trinidad, but it is now unlikely the Manchester United player will feature.

Rooney has returned to full contact training and is shooting at full force with his right foot, which has recovered from a fractured metatarsal bone. Many in the England camp are worried however that in his determination to prove his match fitness and spearhead the World Cup challenge, Rooney could injure himself again.

Either way, Eriksson is expected to continue with the 4-4-2 line-up that started against Paraguay, meaning that Michael Owen will get another chance to play himself into form alongside Peter Crouch.

Owen was replaced after 55 minutes in England's opener and looked desperately short of his usual sharpness as he returns from injury.

Beckham is adamant that the goals will come for the Newcastle Striker.

"Michael will come good, he always does in the big competitions," Beckham said.

Trinidad "out to win"

Trinidad meanwhile will go into the match looking to write another chapter in what is already emerging as one of the great folkloristic stories of the 2006 World Cup.

The Warriors, most of whom play for lower-league British clubs, will present a real physical challenge in what are forecast to be steamy conditions.

Led by Dwight Yorke, who is also on friendly terms with England defender Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville since their Manchester United days, the team is fired-up after holding an insipid Sweden to a goalless draw in the first group game.

"It will be a special day for me and most of our team who play in England but we will be out to win, make no mistake," Yorke said. "We knew we could do something special and we still know we can. Hopefully, we can perform again as we did against Sweden," he added.

Trinidad will also be looking for another masterful performance from goalkeeper Shaka Hislop who has said he could die happy after his heroics against Sweden.

The Caribbean nation's first-time World Cup performance also impressed President Maxwell Richards, who decided to extend his stay in Germany to watch his side take on England.

"He told the players he always believed in them, but after the Sweden game, he really thinks they can get a result against England," a spokesman for the Trinidad & Tobago soccer association told Reuters.

"Stars do not matter"

Trinidad coach Leo Beenhakker, who has trained Holland and Real Madrid, said his players showed against Sweden that they would not be intimidated by facing England's superstar line-up.

"The Swedes played with strikers from Juventus, Arsenal and Barcelona. We had lads from Jabloteh, Gillingham and Wrexham," he said. "We're not talking mathematics here," said Beenhakker. "Normally two and two make four -- but in football they often make three or five."

Beenhakker was dismissive of England's star crowd alone carrying it through.

"England have great players but they don't win tournaments and you have to ask yourself why," Beenhakker said. "It's like Real Madrid. You can have all of the stars in the world but if you cannot play as a team then the stars do not matter."

Probable Line-Ups:

England (4-4-2):

1-Paul Robinson; 2-Gary Neville, 5-Rio Ferdinand, 6-John Terry, 3-Ashley Cole; 7-David Beckham, 8-Frank Lampard, 4-Steven Gerrard, 11-Joe Cole; 10-Michael Owen, 21-Peter Crouch

Coach: Sven-Goran Eriksson (Sweden)

Trinidad & Tobago (4-4-2):

1-Shaka Hislop; 6-Dennis Lawrence, 5-Brent Sancho, 8-Cyd Gray, 11-Carlos Edwards; 12-Collin Samuel, 7-Chris Birchall, 18-Densill Theobald, 15-Kenwyne Jones; 14-Stern John, 19-Dwight Yorke

Coach: Leo Beenhakker (Netherlands)