England v Macedonia
UEFA European Championship Qualifier
5pm, Saturday 7 October 2006
Old Trafford, Manchester United FC

Steve McClaren expects England captain John Terry to lead out the team for next month's Euro 2008 qualifiers with Macedonia and Croatia.

Terry sat out Chelsea's 2-0 victory at Fulham on Saturday with a back injury which has been giving the Premiership Champions some cause for concern.

He received treatment on the complaint from England's osteopath on Sunday and has flown out to Bulgaria with the Chelsea squad for Wednesday's UEFA Champions League clash with Levski Sofia.

The centre half may not be risked for the game, but appears to be optimistic about his chances of being available for his country.

England face Macedonia on 7 October and Croatia four days later, with Head Coach McClaren expecting to have his skipper in his squad for the double header.

"I had a text from him yesterday," McClaren told Sky Sports News. "It was typical John Terry and he said he'll be all right for Wednesday. He's a tough character."

But should the Three Lions skipper be ruled out with the back problem, then McClaren feels he has the options to cope without the robust defender.

He added: "Injuries are part and parcel of football, at club level, at international level. I know that with the experience I've got and it's up to us to find players to replace them and give them the opportunity.

"That's what I've certainly been doing over the last few weeks and what I will be doing this week."