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England aim to seal Euro berth

Podgorica - Fabio Capello has called for cool heads as England attempt to clinch qualification for Euro 2012 with a potentially awkward clash against Montenegro here Friday.

England will take to the pitch in Montenegro's Podgorica Stadium needing only a point to seal first place in Group G and book their place at next year's finals in Poland and Ukraine.

But Capello is wary of the threat posed by a Montenegro side who held his team to a goalless draw at Wembley last year, and who can still pip England for top spot if they take maximum points from their final two games.

A defeat on Friday would leave Capello sweating on the outcome of Montenegro's last group game in Switzerland next Tuesday, where another win would leave England contemplating a play-off.

Capello, however, is determined to wrap up qualification with a minimum of fuss even though he anticipates a difficult night's work.

"Other coaches told me it will not be an easy game because the atmosphere, the fans, everything will be really bad," Capello said.

"It will be noisy and intense. We need to be careful about provocation, we need players who can keep a cool head, and we need leaders on the pitch."

The Italian has even sought out the counsel of compatriot Giovanni Trapattoni, whose Republic of Ireland side were given a rough ride in Podgorica during qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup before securing a draw.

"Giovanni told me to be careful in every moment," Capello revealed. "He told me to be careful when we are at the hotel, when we go onto the pitch, when we are in the dressing rooms, even when we are in the corridor.

"He said something can always happen. For us, it will be different to what we are used to. We have to be ready for anything."

Capello is also adamant his side will play for a win, rather than attempt to grind out the draw which would ensure qualification.

"It would be a mistake to go there thinking about a draw; we need to go there wanting to win," he said.

Capello has also played down comments he made in the aftermath of last month's laboured 1-0 win over Wales at Wembley, when he appeared to accuse his English players of lacking the right mentality for international football.

"It is a really easy thing to understand," he said. "When they shot towards the goal in the warm-up they missed. The shot to shoot, not to score. When they made a pass, they were not focused. That's all I meant to say.

"I saw we were not really focused on the game and thought to myself 'You need to be careful guys.'...to think any game will be easy is a big mistake. The game against Montenegro, I think, the players will be really focused."

Capello is reportedly mulling the possibility of pairing in-form Manchester United strike partners Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck in attack.

Capello's other major selection dilemma is at right back, where injury has deprived him of the services of Chris Smalling and Glen Johnson, meaning the Italian is likely to choose between Phil Jagielka or Tottenham's Kyle Walker.

Jagielka is expected to be given the task of tracking Montenegro's Italy-based talisman Mirko Vucinic, who missed last year's 0-0 draw at Wembley.

Montenegro approach the game on the back of a draw with Bulgaria and a dispiriting loss to Wales last month, results which led to the sacking of coach Zlatko Kranjcar and left England in pole position to qualify.

But Montenegro's La Liga-based striker Andrija Delibasic insists the home side are capable of stunning England.

"The whole country knows this match is historic and there's an element of pleasure seeing England come with their world-class players, of watching the likes of Wayne Rooney at our stadium," Delibasic said this week.

"We'll be respectful but we have no reason to be fearful. We have shown that by drawing with England at Wembley."

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