Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has named his 23-man England squad for the World Cup finals.
In the build-up to naming his squad, BBC Sport conducted a series of scouting missions to check on the form and fitness of some of the players who were hoping to participate in football's showpiece event.
MISSION NUMBER ONE: ANDREW JOHNSON
Date: 18 March, 2006
Club: Crystal Palace
Position: Striker
Venue: Selhurst Park
MISSION NUMBER TWO: SCOTT PARKER
Date: 19 March, 2006
Club: Newcastle
Position: Central midfielder
Venue: St James' Park
MISSION NUMBER THREE: STEWART DOWNING
Date: 23 March, 2006
Club: Middlesbrough
Position: Left wing
Venue: The Valley, Charlton
MISSION NUMBER FOUR: JAMES BEATTIE
Date: 25 March, 2006
Club: Everton
Position: Striker
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
MISSION NUMBER FIVE: DARIUS VASSELL
Date: 25 March, 2006
Club: Manchester City
Position: Striker
Venue: Stamford Bridge, Chelsea
MISSION NUMBER SIX: WAYNE BRIDGE
Date: 1 April, 2006
Club: Fulham
Position: Left-back
Venue: Craven Cottage
MISSION NUMBER SEVEN: KEVIN NOLAN
Date: 4 April, 2006
Club: Bolton Wanderers
Position: Centre midfield
Venue: St Andrews, Birmingham
MISSION NUMBER EIGHT: JERMAINE JENAS
Date: 8 April, 2006
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Position: Centre midfield
Venue: White Hart Lane, London
MISSION NUMBER NINE: PHIL NEVILLE
Date: 8 April, 2006
Club: Everton
Position: Left-back
Venue: The Valley, London
MISSION NUMBER 10: DARREN BENT
Date: 15 April, 2006
Club: Charlton
Position: Striker
Venue: Craven Cottage, London
MISSION NUMBER 11: KIERON DYER
Date: 17 April, 2006
Club: Newcastle
Position: Winger
Venue: Stadium of Light, Sunderland
MISSION NUMBER 12: MICHAEL CARRICK
Date: 30 April, 2006
Club: Tottenham
Position: Centre midfield
Venue: White Hart Lane, London
MISSION NUMBER 13: ASHLEY COLE
Date: 4 May, 2006
Club: Arsenal
Position: Left-back
Venue: The City of Manchester Stadium
MISSION NUMBER 14: PETER CROUCH
Date: 7 May, 2006
Club: Liverpool
Position: Striker
Venue: Fratton Park, Portsmouth
MISSION NUMBER 15: SOL CAMPBELL
Date: 7 May, 2006
Club: Arsenal
Position: Centre back
Venue: Highbury, London
ENGLAND B v BELARUS
Date: 25 May, 2006
Venue: Madejski Stadium, Reading
Sven-Goran Eriksson fielded a largely second-string side and they took the lead when Jermaine Jenas nodded in a rebound. But the Belarussians hit back and won with goals from Vitaly Kutuzov and Sergey Kornilenko.
SWEDEN 0-0 FINLAND
Date: 25 May, 2006
Venue: Ullevi Stadium, Gotherburg
Coach Lars Lagerback picked an under-strength team and left out leading strikers Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. His side struggled as a result and put in a lacklustre performance.
ENGLAND 3-1 HUNGARY
Date: 30 May, 2006
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester
England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson picked a full-strength side, with Jamie Carragher coming into midfield in a 4-5-1 formation. It was far from a convincing performance, but substitute Peter Crouch's late goal helped cap the win.
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