Lampard the sparkling diamond in Sven's plans

The Swedish coach wants to field his strongest team and, as he has no injury problems, we must assume that this will be the team that faces the French.

He's already hinted that he will play with a diamond-shaped midfield with Steven Gerrard filling the problematic position on the left. The trouble is, he's best in the centre of midfield, as is Lampard and Paul Scholes.

What Lampard offers at the moment is a rich vein of goalscoring form - a big consideration for a team that rarely score from the midfield ranks. He hit 15 goals for Chelsea this season and, apart from Joe Cole, was the last England midfield man to score in open play - in the 3-1 win over Croatia in August.

Poor Scholes has a total of 13 England goals to his credit but the last was in a 2-0 win in Greece nearly three years ago.

Lampard can be used most effectively as an attacking midfield player just behind the front two though, to accommodate Scholes, Eriksson may choose to play him at the base of the diamond. Claudio Ranieri, the departing Chelsea manager, encouraged Lampard to play in the areas where he does most damage. Eriksson has yet to give him the same responsibility.

He has no doubt about Lampard's vision and passing. He should have no worries about his energy levels either. This will be an important factor in the heat of Portugal.

Lampard played 60 games for club and country this season, more than any other Premiership player, and is now ready to take the big step forward on the international stage.

Even the admiring French contingent in the Highbury dressing room voted for him in the Player of the Year ballot. The emergence of Lampard and Wayne Rooney and the fitness of Gerrard and Gary Neville probably gives Eriksson a stronger squad than the one he took to Japan and Korea for the World Cup in 2002.

"I don't have the injury worries I had two years ago," admitted Eriksson. "Even David Beckham wasn't fully fit in Japan."

It's disappointing, however, that he's without Rio Ferdinand, an absence that puts pressure on the recently formed Sol Campbell-John Terry combination at the heart of the England defence.

They've played together only twice and the games against Japan, and Iceland on Saturday, should be treated as a bonding exercise for England's two centre backs. They will have little chance to iron out problems once they get to Portugal.

Rooney, too, is in the process of establishing a rapport with Michael Owen and will want the chance to convince Eriksson that he's worth a place in the starting line up against the French. He's started in the last six England matches, scoring three goals, and certainly looks a more potent threat than Emile Heskey who scored the last of his five England goals (in 40 matches) a year ago.

Japan, beaten 1-0 by Turkey in the second round of the World Cup in 2002, have played England only once before, losing 2-1 at Wembley in 1995. "They will make life difficult for us tonight," said Eriksson.

Not difficult enough, though, to cause an upset. Having lost two of their last three friendly matches, England need a morale boosting win - and I suspect will get one tonight.