Former England hero Gazza, now manager of non-league Kettering Town, will be watching with interest as England take on Argentina in a friendly in Geneva on Saturday.

And he believes Head Coach Eriksson is grooming the national side into a team ready to take on the world.

Gazza said: "Sven has done well to keep his head held high and his chest out and he's got on with the job despite the amount of pressure he's under.

"I think he's handled the pressure well and I just hope the players will come out and really play for him. He deserves it.

"I think England are a world class side when they play well. You can see that from the way they work together and the way they play together. Now we need to get results."

Gascoigne, like the rest of the nation, celebrated when England qualified for the World Cup finals by beating Austria and Poland in their last two qualifying games. And now he is hoping for something special when they take on Argentina on Saturday.

He said: "This is a friendly but if you want to play in the World Cup you have to prove that you are good enough, so it's up to them now. It should be a great game."

Gazza is hoping, however, that all the history of the fixture - and especially Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' in the 1986 World Cup finals doesn't overshadow a cracking football fixture.

He said: "No doubt the headlines are going to be all about the Hand of God again, that's what they will talk about - not the game. It's going to be Maradona, Hand of God, let's beat Argentina.

"That's bad because it takes away from a great game. But I'm sure the players won't be thinking that, they will just want to win the game and prepare for the World Cup.

"It's a big year for us and I think we have a chance in Germany, I'm not going to say no am I? We have got the players. I'm a fanatical England fan and I hope they can come home with the World Cup. It would be great for the country."