Owen rearing to go

By European Football
October 4 2005

Despite missing Newcastle United’s game against Portsmouth at the weekend, England striker Michael Owen is confident he will be playing a big part in Saturday’s game telling reporters: "I'm confident I'll be fit for England on Saturday."

"It was just a dead leg picked up in training and shouldn't affect me too much in the next few days.

"In any case, the anticipation of two huge games ahead of us against Austria and Poland will speed along my recovery."

He spoke out against the recent criticism of Sven-Goran Eriksson, but insisted that England were still favourites for automatic qualification, despite the result against Northern Ireland:

"Perhaps we have got used to a certain level of success under Sven. I have not changed my belief that he is the right man to lead us to Germany and achieve success there."

"We still have automatic qualification in our own hands," Owen said. "I am convinced we will get those wins and I'm sure no one in the England camp will be thinking about any other scenario.

"The World Cup is the pinnacle of any player's career," added Owen, who rose to prominence at the age of 18 with a magnificent goal against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup.

"We are all determined to get to Germany and test ourselves on the biggest stage of all.

"Throughout my time as an England player, the team has always enjoyed magnificent support at home and abroad. It's important all the fans know that we crave success as much as them."

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