England pin hopes on prolific Peter

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McClaren's top two strikers, Michael Owen (thigh) and Wayne Rooney (ankle), will both miss the Wembley encounter through injury and McClaren is debating whether to call upon reinforcements, but already it appears Crouch will start alongside Jermain Defoe against Croatia.

And McClaren is confident he will deliver, saying: "Peter Crouch is a handful for anybody. He has played quite a few times for Liverpool recently and been quite effective. The goal is bound to help his confidence."

He added: "We may only need one on Wednesday and, if that is the case, we are capable of getting it."

The mathematics of the situation will only be known once events in Tel Aviv and Skopje have reached their conclusion.

But McClaren is acutely aware the combination of Crouch's height and David Beckham's spectacular ability in dead-ball situations is particularly potent.

It worked against Austria and McClaren cannot see why it would not pay off again.

"We are dangerous at set plays," he said. "We have got Peter Crouch's height and capable midfield players, so there are goals in the team and it is not as if we would need four or five."