Capello to name preliminary squad

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Capello leads out the national side for the first time against Switzerland on February 6 and although the Italian coach will still name his final party as planned on Saturday evening, he is set to lay out his plans at 3.30pm.

A handful of marginal players should find whether they have done enough to earn a place in 61-year-old's thoughts, but it is former skipper Beckham - who is currently on 99 caps and has been vocal in his desire to reach three figures - who will be the centre of attention.

If he is named by his former Real Madrid boss, the build-up to the 32-year-old's century of appearances will start in earnest as he prepares to join Billy Wright, Bobby Charlton, Peter Shilton and Bobby Moore in earning 100 caps.

But if he is left out, Capello would be making a huge statement.

His predecessor Steve McClaren started his ill-fated tenure by making exactly the same decision and was forced to publicly back track as he decided Beckham's experience and deadball expertise were needed to rescue a Euro 2008 qualifying campaign that was going seriously awry.

While England could not qualify due to a humbling last-gasp defeat to Croatia at Wembley, Beckham's contribution following his comeback was well received by fans and team-mates alike. But Capello is thought to be concerned about the midfielder's match fitness.

The Los Angeles Galaxy man has not played competitively for more than two months following the end of the Major League Soccer season and although he has been training with Arsenal in a bid to prove his fitness there are sure to be question marks over his sharpness.

Other players hoping to earn a call from Capello include Aston Villa pair Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor, Reading's uncapped striker Dave Kitson and Arsenal teenager Theo Walcott.

Goalkeeper, a troubled position under McClaren, will also be interesting with David James and Robert Green likely to be ahead of former number one Paul Robinson in the pecking order after his dropping from the Tottenham side.