Owen Keeps The Faith For England

Ahead of the crunch tie between Israel and Russia that could decide England's Euro 2008 fate, Michael Owen has spoken of his continued belief that the Three Lions can still make it to Austria and Switzerland.
"It could be a difficult week," admitted the striker, whose side will almost certainly need to beat Croatia next Wednesday even if Israel do them a favour this weekend.
"We have got to block out a lot of things and be in the right mental and physical state that if something was to go for us on Saturday then we would be in the right frame of mind to go on and do our best on the Wednesday.
"It is all about preparing right and being in a position to pounce if results did go our way."
Keep On Believing
Even though their fate is not entirely in their own hands, Owen insists continued belief is vital to keep the qualification dream alive.
"In the bigger picture, Wednesday is the all-important game and we have got to believe it is the all-important game. And we have got to believe that if we win that we will qualify, if you don’t think that you will get lazy in your training and play so we have got to believe that."
Booed On At Wembley?
Of course, the wrong results at the weekend could see England already out of contention. Owen recognises that this could make for an awkward reception from England supporters at Wembley on Wednesday night.
"In the back of your mind you do think if results do not go your way it would be a tough night at Wembley. It would be frustrating going out and playing with nothing on it, but we hope one or two teams can do us a favour.
"We have to stay positive because we have to be prepared in case someone does us a favour."
Chris विल्लिंस