Regular skipper David Beckham withdrew from the squad with injury on Monday and with Michael Owen and Sol Campbell also missing from the squad, Gerrard was the obvious choice.

Already captain of his club side, the dynamic midfielder is still unbeaten in an England shirt and ahead of tomorrow's match was full of praise for his manager.

"If a manager can put that belief and self-confidence into his team you're going to go out feeling good, wanting to get the right result and feeling that you can do that," Gerrard said.

"He [Sven] understands what makes players tick. He's had experience with world-class players and knows how to make the team play well."

Though given his debut by Kevin Keegan, Gerrard has flourished as an international under Sven and now has 21 caps to his name.

"My relationship with him took off straightaway. He let me know what he liked about me, where he wanted me to play and told me he really believed in the way I play, which gave me a lot of confidence."

"All the players believe [in Sven] and I'm sure the nation feels the same. We always wanted him to stay and thought he would, so the decision was a great boost going into Euro 2004."

England suffered a major blow prior to the 2002 World Cup when Gerrard was forced to miss the entire tournament due to injury. The frustration of missing out on the Three Lions' run to the quarter-finals means that the 23-year-old is relishing the forthcoming European Championship.

"Everything can be channelled in the right direction for Portugal now. We've got all the ingredients to be successful in this tournament. I'm confident that we can have a big tournament - and for me that means going all the way.

"The World Cup was a big disappointment. If I can have a successful tournament in Portugal, I can forget about it"