England to be top seeds

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UEFA have released interim seedings for the draw, which will be held in Warsaw on February 7.

And, while there are still some matches to be played, England's current position of fifth should ensure Fabio Capello's men get a favourable seeding among the nine groups.

With six groups of six teams and three of five, only the table-toppers will be guaranteed a place in the finals alongside co-hosts Poland and Ukraine, who England face in Dnepropetrovsk on Saturday.

The best runner-up will also go through, with the eight others going into the play-offs.

Given the difficulty in making it through, Capello will not want to be paired with either Portugal - who may yet be eliminated from the World Cup - or Serbia, who currently head a group containing France.

In geographical terms, a potential group including Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Georgia and Azerbaijan would hardly hold much appeal.

As it presently stands, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Northern Ireland will all be in Pot Three, while Wales will once again be up against it when they come out of Pot Four.