Chris Waddle, seen here during the 1990 World Cup, is looking forward to Friday
TV time for Waddle
By Matt Butler. Wednesday, 07 December 2005.
Chris Waddle will be parked in front of his TV for the World Cup draw on Friday night but won't mind who England are drawn against - because any team can spring a surprise.
Pele is another who will be watching the draw, although the great man is equally excited about seeing Wayne Rooney in action.
"I believe at the moment Brazil are the best team in the world but England have Rooney, Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard and Owen - five good attacking players - and if they are in good shape for the World Cup then they will be a strong team.
"I think Rooney is the most brilliant young player in Europe, I like him very much indeed," he said.
Sven's men are one of eight seeds for the draw in Leipzig, meaning they avoid the likes of world champions Brazil, Argentina and Germany until the knockout stages.
Former England midfielder Waddle can't wait for the tournament to start next summer and is confident the Three Lions will do well.
And although he is hoping Heidi Klum treats England kindly when she pulls the balls out of the pots, he knows any team can cause an upset.
He said: "It is nice to be seeded for the draw so we can hopefully win some games and build up the confidence for the latter stages.
"But anybody we get drawn against will be up for it. In the early round a win can always help but you are always going to come across a hard team.
"Even teams like Togo and Ghana can pull something off. They have very technically gifted players who play in some of Europe's top clubs.
"In the past it was possible to get to the quarter-finals without meeting a really strong team. But there is nobody in this tournament that will get a real hammering.
"People have been saying to me that Trinidad & Tobago will be the whipping boys. But there is no pressure on them and who knows what they could do on the world's biggest stage?"