Record crowd due for Wembley decider

The Football Association expects to set an attendance record when England face Portugal in their final UEFA European Under-21 Championship Group 3 qualifier at Wembley on 5 September.

Even higher
England's U21s have played at Wembley before, making history when they met their Italy counterparts in the first game at the new stadium on 24 March 2007. A 55,700 crowd witnessed a 3-3 draw, with Giampaolo Pazzini scoring the first goal at the stadium after just 29 seconds, going on to register a hat-trick. With England knowing that anything other than a defeat will guarantee them top spot in the section and a place in the play-offs for the U21 finals in Sweden next summer, an even bigger crowd is anticipated for the Portugal match – which would be a record high for the U21 Championship.

Stars in the making
"Since our last U21 game, six of our players have been in the senior squad," said England manager Stuart Pearce. "That shows that the dividing line is very small and [national team manager] Fabio Capello is happy to bring players in and have a look at them. We want the transition to the seniors to be as smooth as possible. Taking this game to Wembley is part of that. A lot of the U21 players will never have played there and the experience of playing this game will help them, as and when they step up to the seniors." Six of the players elevated to the full squad – Joe Hart, Theo Walcott, Gabby Agbonlahor, David Wheater, Tom Huddlestone and Joe Lewis – are likely to be involved. Pearce's men will warm up for the big day with a friendly against Slovakia in Hull on 19 August.