Capello promises Croatia that England will go for a win - Hindustan Times
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Capello promises Croatia that England will go for a win

Reuters | By, London
Oct 11, 2009 12:04 PM IST

Croatia need not worry about England taking it easy against Ukraine despite having already qualified for the World Cup finals, coach Fabio Capello said. With eight wins from eight matches, England are guaranteed to finish top but Croatia and Ukraine are battling it out for runners-up spot and a place in a two-legged playoff.

Croatia need not worry about England taking it easy against Ukraine on Saturday despite having already qualified for the World Cup finals, coach Fabio Capello said on Friday.

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With eight wins from eight matches in Group Six, England are guaranteed to finish top but Croatia and Ukraine are battling it out for runners-up spot and a place in a two-legged playoff against one of the other second-placed nations.

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Croatia, who play their final qualifying match in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, are second with 17 points but Ukraine would overtake them with wins at home to England on Saturday and away to Andorra next week.

"I always play to win and tomorrow will be the same," Capello told reporters at a news conference in Dnepropetrovsk televised by Sky Sports News.

"We will play the same as in the other matches and I will choose my best 11. "Getting 10 wins out of 10 is not important, it's just important to win.

"I want to see the team play with the same spirit and style and to play to win. Sometimes you find another team that is stronger than you and you can lose. We always play to win."

England thrashed Croatia twice in the group, but found Ukraine a much tougher nut to crack at Wembley this year, needing a late goal from John Terry to seal victory.

"I'm expecting a tough game and we will have to play very well. I saw their (0-0 draw) against Belarus and they played very well but missed a lot of chances."

Capello confirmed Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand would be in the starting line-up after missing the home win over Croatia with a thigh injury but was still undecided about who would be in goal.

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