Possible England starting 11 v Sweden

England set off to Stockholm on Wednesday night to face a Sweden side in a friendly which will introduce the new 50,100 capacity stadium for the hosts, the Friends Arena.

Roy Hodgson is set to name a youthful Three Lions team following injuries to Ashley Cole, James Milner and Frank Lampard, as well as late withdrawals from Theo Walcott, Wayne Rooney and Aaron Lennon.

Hodgson confirmed on Tuesday that Steven Gerrard will win his 100th cap for England and there will be full international debuts for Leon Osman, Raheem Sterling and Steven Caulker.

England team to face Sweden: Hart, Johnson, Cahill, Caulker, Baines, Gerrard, Cleverley, Osman, Sterling, Welbeck, Young 

Total Football's Kuvan Sidhu gave his view on who was likely to start for England in their final assignment of a testing year.

Joe Hart

Undoubtedly England’s strongest goalkeeper right now, Joe Hart will be set to retain his place between the sticks against the Swedes.

The Manchester City stopper has had yet another fantastic season in goal for the Premier League champions, with glittering displays against teams such as Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

Fraser Forster has fully earned his England call-up with tremendous performances against Barcelona which saw Celtic produce a shock 2-1 Champions League victory at Celtic Park, so it could be possible that he may be a half-time substitute as Hodgson is likely to experiment different options.

However, be very surprised if Hart doesn't start in goal again. 

Glen Johnson

With the early precautionary substitution of Kyle Walker on Sunday in Spurs’ clash with Manchester City, Glen Johnson is likely to retain his place at right back.

The Liverpool man has been playing at left back for his club for the majority of this season but has shown big improvements in recent weeks coming into this international friendly.

Gary Cahill 

Gary Cahill goes into this game with a point to prove and that is to win a regular place in the England side.

Despite John Terry's international retirement in September, Cahill has had to play second fiddle to Joleon Lescott.

With Lescott out through injury for this one, Cahill (pictured) has a great chance to cement his claim for a starting place.

In great form for Chelsea at the moment, he is a threat from set pieces and has shown throughout the year that he can perform on the big stage.

Phil Jagielka

The pressure is on Phil Jagielka to retain his place as a central defensive regular in the England setup.

With Ryan Shawcross and Steven Caulker showing plenty of promise and Phil Jones still recovering from injury, it could be Jagielka's place in future that comes under greater scrutiny.

No-one can deny he deserves his place on merit though and he will need to be in top form against the unpredictable but dynamic Zlatan Ibrahimovic against the Swedes. 

If Jagielka features, it will be from the bench as Steven Caulker looks set to win his first international cap ahead of the England man. 

Leighton Baines

With the absence of the Three Lions first choice left back Cole, Jagielka's Everton team-mate Leighton Baines will retain his place in the starting 11.

Baines not only provides excellent defensive solidarity but he also has the ability to attack down the left wing and produce dangerous crosses.

He can link up well in the final third with the attacking players and his venomous left foot means he is a real danger from direct set piece opportunities.

Jack Wilshere 

Although Jack Wilshere has only recently made his return to first-team football at Arsenal, the belief was he will be amongst the starting line-up due to the injuries and unavailability of other English midfielders.

Perhaps his lack of regular football has played a part in Hodgson's decision to play Leon Osman from the start ahead of the Arsenal man. 

Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is already angry with Hodgson for selecting Wilshere in the first place but the previous international experience that he has obtained is crucial in a relatively untested squad.

Steven Gerrard 

England captain Steven Gerrard will become a member of England’s 100 club in Stockholm.

The Liverpool legend has been a brilliant servant for club and country, arguably being the most consistent England player of the last 10 years.

With his advancing years, his role in the England midfield has changed as he will be asked to dictate play from a deeper role to allow younger legs to get forward.

Gerrard will also have to keep tabs on the talented Swedish midfielder Rasmus Elm, who impressed against the English at Euro 2012.

Tom Cleverley

Tom Cleverley has made a mixed start to his international career but he has come on leaps and bounds since his participation for Team GB at the Olympic Games.

Hodgson is likely to allow the Manchester United midfielder plenty of creative freedom higher up the pitch in relation to midfield partner Gerrard.

It is another chance to see his international credentials at this level. 

Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling is likely to be unleashed against Sweden following his great form at club level for Liverpool.

The 17-year-old was an unused substitute in England’s 1-1 draw against Ukraine in September but is likely to earn his first England cap on the right wing of an attacking front three.

Sterling has shown plenty of composure in his short career at Anfield. He will bring pace to the attack, which is bound to worry the Swedish backline.

His prominence has been exciting to watch and this would be a deserved first cap for an individual who has shown plenty of maturity at such a young age.

Danny Welbeck

With Rooney and Jermain Defoe ruled out through injury and Andy Carroll not selected, Danny Welbeck's inclusion from the start is almost a certainty.  

Welbeck has shown a cutting edge already at international level and is top scorer for Hodgson in his tenure as Three Lions boss.

Sweden still probably have nightmares of his clever backheel in Kiev, which ended their participation at Euro 2012 in the summer. 

Ashley Young 

Ashley Young has had a testing few months. He had a poor Euro 2012 and lost his confidence in a Manchester United shirt too.

Injury has stalled his season at Old Trafford but his unpredictable element could be a plus to Hodgson for this friendly.

Young has plenty of pace and the ability to cross the ball into the box for target man Welbeck.  He definitely has the quality to give the Swedish defence plenty of headaches. 

By Kuvan Sidhu – Follow me on Twitter @Kuvinho08

Europa League quality - Falcao and Nedved

Is it possible to become a world class player playing in the UEFA Europa League?

It’s widely thought that top players cannot become recognised as exceptional talents when competing in Europe’s second tier competition but there are many footballers that would disagree with such a theory.

The Europa League, once known as the UEFA Cup, was designed for teams who were not amongst their countries’ elite to have a chance at European glory.

In years gone by, a number of players have used this competition as a propeller to stardom and have caused the big clubs to cough up large sums of money in exchange for their signature.

Total Football's Kuvan Sidhu looks at one striker currently in his prime and a player who first came to stardom in the secondary European club competition in the 1990s. 

Falcao among the best

Radamel Falcao is regarded by many pundits as the best striker in the world. He is the perfect example of a player who was made by the UEFA Europa League.

The Colombian striker first joined FC Porto in 2009 for a fee of £3.5m.

He first took centre stage in the 2010-11 campaign which saw the Portuguese side win the competition under Andre Villas-Boas.

Falcao (pictured) was the top scorer in the competition notching 17 goals, seeing him surpass Jurgen Klinsmann’s record of 15 goals in a single annual club European competition.

He also completed the tournament with the winning goal in the Dublin final against fellow Portuguese team Sporting Braga.

Following his success, Falcao was then sold for a hefty fee of £38m to Atletico Madrid, who were seeking a replacement for departed star striker Sergio Aguero.

The pressure was on the Colombian but he certainly did not disappoint with 36 goals in his first season for his new club.

He then took centre stage again as he led Atletico to Europa League glory last season, becoming the top scorer in the competition for a second consecutive year with 12 goals.

With a supreme display of finishing, Falcao scored a brace in the final, in an all-Spanish showdown against Athletic Bilbao.

Since then, Falcao has become the first player in history to score a hat-trick in a UEFA Super Cup final, in a devastating display against current UEFA Champions League holders Chelsea.

He has now been told he may leave in the 2013 transfer window with bidding starting at £40m.

There is no doubting his quality and awareness for finding the back of the net.

Nedved was full of Czech class

In the 1995-96 UEFA Cup campaign, Europe got to see the first glimpses of talented Sparta Prague playmaker Pavel Nedved.

The Czech was vastly influential in his teams’ European campaign contributing with five goals.

Sparta were beaten in the semi-final by Bordeaux but Nedved was impressive throughout the competition, earning himself an international call up from his native Czech Republic for Euro 96.

He starred throughout the tournament, scoring a goal against Italy in the group stages as the Czechs reached the final.

Nedved's glittering performances caught the eye of Italian club Lazio. He would complete a move to the Serie A giants that summer and continue to create a name for himself.

In his second year at Lazio, he played a big role in helping his team progress through to the UEFA Cup final where they were beaten by fellow Italian side Inter Milan.

After five excellent years in Rome, Juventus showed interest in the classy Czech and paid a fee of around £40m to acquire his signature in the summer of 2001.

Nedved was instrumental in leading Juventus to the UEFA Champions League final in 2003 but was forced to sit out due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

Juve lost the game on penalties to Italian rivals AC Milan at Old Trafford but it was a year which ended in reward for Nedved as he won the European Football of the Year award.

He retired in February 2009 but will always be remembered as one of the most talented two-footed footballers the world has ever seen.

The UEFA Europa League has proved to be the perfect platform for young talents to make a name and propel themselves to new heights within the footballing world.

By Kuvan Sidhu

FA Cup: Mansfield vs Liverpool

Today see's Blue-Square Premier League side Mansfield Town welcome last years FA Cup Finalists' Liverpool.

The likely line-ups:

Mansfields Town 

Liverpool

A massive day for the boys from Mansfield as they invite giants Liverpool to the One Call Stadium. The magic on the FA Cup could be at work today as the team from the Blue-Square Premier League look to cause, what would be, one of the biggest shocks in FA Cup history.

Liverpool are in good form coming into the game with 9 points out of a possible 12 over the festive period. New £12m striker Daniel Sturridge is expected to make his debut today as Liverpool are likely to make changes to the side that comfortably beat Sunderland last time out. With squad rotation over the festive period, I believe there are certain players that in the Liverpool squad that are need of a game. Jonjo Shelvey and Nuri Sahin have been absent from the first team recently and will seek to impress and secure a more regular spot in the first team, albeit against Mansfield. With a trip to Old Trafford looming, Luis Suarez is likely to be rested and on the bench in case emergency should happen.

Mansfield are in good form, losing only 1 game in their last 11 games. They have taken 20 point from the last possible 33 point and are currently lying in 9th in the Blue-Square Prem but have 4 games in hand on current leaders Grimsby. At home, they have proven a difficult team to beat with 7 wins out of 12 games with 3 draws and 2 defeats. 

Interesting Facts

• Mansfield's best priced adult season ticket is £260. Liverpool's is £725.
• The One Call Stadium capacity is 10,000 (though it currently holds 7,574). Anfield holds 45,276.
• Harry Johnson is Mansfield's all-time top goalscorer with 114 goals. For Liverpool, its Ian Rush with 346.

The Verdict

Liverpool will surely have too much for The Stags today regardless of the non-league side's current form. But this is the FA Cup so anything is possible in these sort of ties. Tight game or absolute rout? I believe Mansfield will fight hard today and the score will be a respectable 3-0.

Kuvinho - Follow me on Twitter @kuvinho08