by Anton Johan
The country breathed a collective sigh of relief after the England World Cup team earned its way through to the next round of the tournament.
The team is now hard at work preparing for its next meeting against the German side on Sunday, June 27th.
Coach Capello has already stated that he believes Wayne Rooney will be fit to play this weekend, after the star player was taken off the field after only 18 minutes in the last match due to an ankle injury.
"I substituted Wayne because his ankle was not good," said Capello. "He had some problems. I changed the team, substituted him and we will check with the doctor but I think he will be fine on Sunday."
Bookies have posted odds for Sunday's match, with 7/4 that Germany will win, compared to odds of 13/8 that England will be victorious.
Odds of 11/5 on a draw are also being offered.
There are several reasons to believe that Germany may have the upper hand in this match, according to several analysts.
For starters, they have more experience with the new controversial Jabulani ball. German players have been training with it for the whole of last season, and Capello's men have shown that the ball doesn't suit their traditionally long style of play.
In addition, the altitude seems to suit the Germans more than the English and they do better 'away' than the English side.
Analysts have also pointed out that while England's talisman, Rooney has yet to find his mark in the the World Cup, three German strikers and two attacking mid fielders have already done so.
This in itself should give Germany the confidence it needs to play better on Sunday.
