England unfazed by Scolari factor

England are hoping to avoid being undone by Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari for a third time as they meet in a FIFA World Cup quarter-final in Gelsenkirchen on Saturday.

Nothing personal
Scolari ended England's hopes at the same stage in 2002 with Brazil before, as coach of Portugal, overseeing England's demise in the last eight at UEFA EURO 2004™. Yet England captain David Beckham is adamant there is nothing personal involved in the latest chapter of this saga: "It's not a personal battle with Portugal or Scolari. Scolari's got an amazing record, he's a great manager and a good person. We've got to forget what's happened in the past. What's in the past is in the past and we have to concentrate on the future, which is this game on Saturday."

'Talented teams'
England will also hope to put in a convincing performance with concerns having been raised about their displays in Group B and when defeating Ecuador 1-0 in the last 16. Beckham, of Real Madrid CF, said: "We don't go into these games thinking 'if we win, we win, but we're not bothered about playing well'. We haven't played as well as we can do and we know that. But we're in the quarter-finals of the World Cup and some very talented teams have gone out."

Cause for optimism
That will be little comfort if England fail to reach the semi-finals, but there is cause for optimism in the good form of midfielder Joe Cole and the increasing threat posed by Wayne Rooney, who has recovered from a broken metatarsal in time to make a difference in the knockout rounds. "There's still more to come from me in this tournament. Every game I'm getting better," said the striker. "I was pleased with my performance against Ecuador and delighted with the result but Portugal will be the biggest challenge yet and I have to forget what happened against them last time."

Set-piece threat
That last meeting ended with England bowing out after a penalty shoot-out following a 2-2 draw in Lisbon, and Portugal believe the key to securing another victory against Sven-Göran Eriksson's team will be denying them the chance to profit from set-pieces. "It will be a dangerous game," said defender Nuno Valente. "Their strengths are in crossing, free-kicks and corners. We have to try to prevent these from happening. We must pay attention to this. Their football is not always beautiful but it is effective."

Suspended players
While England are still recovering from the serious knee injury suffered by striker Michael Owen, Portugal go in to the match without Deco and Costinha, both of whom are suspended after receiving red cards in Portugal's 1-0 last-16 success against the Netherlands. Scolari praised his players for their commitment in that match, saying: "For many years Portugal hasn't seen a team dignify the name of Portugal, fight for Portugal or do so much for Portugal. We have to congratulate our team." For all his success, he will be well aware that the loss of those two players is a serious handicap.