Croatia v England
UEFA European Championship Qualifying Group E
5pm, Wednesday 11 October 2006
Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb
England 0-0 Macedonia Archive Details - Click Here

Frank Lampard says former West Ham colleague Slaven Bilic was an excellent mentor when the two were at Upton Park together - but the England man insists friendships will be placed on hold on Wednesday night.

Croatia coach Bilic signed for West Ham in February 1996 and made an immediate impact both on and off the field, particularly on a young Lampard who was just a teenager making his way in the game when the Croatian defender arrived at the club.

"He was a fantastic player, a really fantastic defender at the club," recalls Lampard.

"He was experienced and spoke his mind. He brought a lot of personality into the team. He helped me and Rio a lot, he was always there to give advice. I have had a couple of run-ins with him since. A Champions League game a couple of years ago in Munich, I met him and his son who is a Chelsea fan. I have got a lot of respect for Slav."

Bilic spent 15 months at Upton Park before moving to Everton for £4.5m, but he failed to hold down a regular place at Goodison Park and moved to Hajduk Split - the club where he started his career.

More recently Bilic coached Croatia Under-21s before being promoted to senior team coach after the World Cup.

Lampard is not surprised to see his former team-mate in a coaching role.

"I could see him being a coach because he had a bit of personality about him," said Lampard, who is in line to win his 50th cap. "He was always willing to help young players around him, which is always a good sign.

"He's got a determined personality as well. Having played in England and having played against some of us, and with some of us, he'll be even more determined to win."

But Lampard is keen to help England to a much needed win and the pair's mutual respect - Bilic described Lampard as one of the best midfielders in the world in recent years - will be put to one side at the Maksimir Stadium.

"We are going away to Croatia, we want to win the game. When you drop points you want to make sure you don't drop any more.

"Going to Croatia is a very tough game. By no means can we take it for granted that we'll go there and get the three points."

Stay with TheFA.com for more build up to England v Croatia.