Wednesday, 6th February, 2013
England captain Steven Gerrard admits he is relishing the chance to take on Brazil this evening and is not concerned by the match only being a friendly.
Gerrard will pick up his 101st cap for his country at Wembley and, with Brazil the opposition, the Football Association’s 150th anniversary celebrations will be kicked off in style.
Away from the mouthwatering nature of the event, the friendly also serves as a warm-up for important 2014 World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Montenegro in March.
But whatever the reasons behind the match’s importance, Gerrard is relishing it.
"The FA have produced some fantastic fixtures for us this year and they are ones that whet the appetite as a player", he told the FA’s official site.
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"Brazil are fantastic opposition and it doesn’t matter that it is a friendly because we want to win and go into the qualifiers in March in fine form.
"This is another step along the way and a great way to start 2013 and our 150th anniversary.
"We will do our very best to play well and get a result so that come March we know what our best team is and what players play best together."
There will also be a repeat match against Brazil in June and, winning the double header would be a huge confidence-boosting achievement, Gerrard believes.
"If we can beat Brazil in the opening game and again in the Maracana in June and qualify for the finals then life is good for us.
"The only way to do that is by producing performances on the field. I get more and more confident the more I see these players that they have the ability to produce."
Elsewhere for England, Ashley Cole will win his 100th cap against Brazil, following Gerrard into the 100-cap club.
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