Hansen's England preview

BBC Sport's Alan Hansen looks ahead to England's friendly against Sweden at Old Trafford on Saturday.

One of the major benefits of this game is that it will allow Sven-Goran Eriksson to have a look at a number of players.

The biggest bonus for the players will be getting to know each other on a football pitch.

Eriksson has 15 or 16 players who are certain to go to World Cup if they are fit, so there are six or seven places still available.

It's an ideal time to impress as a player. There are not that many games to go before the World Cup, and there are players who can come through and force their way into the final squad.

England have some good players and they will get better over time, but it probably is best not to get too excited

Alan Hansen

If you look at the history of friendlies that England have taken part in recently, the game is only really competitive for the first 20 minutes.

If England score an early goal, the opposition's heads drop. But there is always some chopping and changing of the teams, which makes it difficult for everyone.

However, the fact that Eriksson is the coach, and England are playing against his home nation, may give Sweden that extra competitive edge.

I don't think Eriksson will be unduly worried if England lose this game. Remember the Holland game. England got annihilated, but went on to hammer Germany.

The key is for Eriksson to learn something he might not have already known about some of his players, maybe on the left hand side of midfield. Darren Anderton perhaps?

With Steven Gerrard injured, his Liverpool colleague Danny Murphy is likely to start.

Last year, he was a good player, but didn't look like he could make it right to the top. This season has seen a massive change.

Can Murphy earn a regular England place?

He is now physically stronger and playing in a successful team. If he puts in an impressive performance, he might stay in the squad for a while.

I have no doubt that if England were playing Germany, Steven Gerrard would have played. But, there's nothing Eriksson doesn't already know about him, so why risk it?

Paul Scholes has had a difficult week by his standards, but he still is a world class player, and there hasn't been a world-class player who has not gone through a bad patch.

It's not through a lack of trying, and he's too good a player to be in the doldrums for long.

But you can argue that the balance of the Manchester United team has affected his performance.

As for the World Cup itself, it's too early to say. England qualified out of a poor group, with one of the worst German sides for a long time, and the others were not much better.

If I were an England fan, I wouldn't be jumping in the air just yet. England have some good players and they will get better over time, but it probably is best not to get too excited.