For David Platt, it will be a welcome return to the scene of his debut as Under-21 coach, when a sell-out crowd witnessed a resounding 4-0 victory over Holland in August 2001. The scorer of two of those goals, Jermain Defoe, will be a near certainty to lead the line again, and alongside other stars such as Chris Kirkland, Michael Carrick, Gareth Barry and Jermaine Pennant, will form the backbone of a strong and experienced squad.

Ally these seasoned campaigners to up-and-coming talents such as Jermaine Jenas and Peter Crouch, who got their first real taste of life at this level this year's European Championship, as well as a new crop of youngsters coming through, and it is clear that Platt has a wealth of riches at his disposal. England will be highly motivated to erase the disappointment of Switzerland and qualify for the finals in two years' time.

It will be no easy task however. The campaign kicks off away to Slovakia on Friday, 11th October, and the group also features traditional powerhouses Portugal, who have beaten England in their last two encounters, and Turkey, who will be looking to follow in the footsteps of their senior counterparts. The match against Macedonia in Reading will kick off is at 7.45 pm, stay logged on to TheFA.com to find out how you can get tickets soon...

England also have a friendly scheduled for September, with the date, venue and opposition to be confirmed in due course.

England Under 21s results