England captain Beckham will proudly lead out his side against the tournament hosts this evening in what should be an amazing atmosphere in the Stadium of Light.

Beckham believes the Three Lions are oozing self-belief as they make the final preparations for what could turn out to be a night to remember for English football.

Sven's Lions go into the game on a real high after beating Croatia 4-2 in their final group fixture, so no wonder Beckham is insisting England are now good enough to beat anyone.

He said: "What's good around the hotel is that the players are walking round with a real confidence. We really believe we can win games and compete with the best. To have that in the team, that air of expectancy from the players, is a big bonus.

"I have never known anything like it in an England team ever before. There is no negativity at all in our hotel. It's just about 'we are going to beat them, we are going to play this game and we are going to win'. That's what it's been like every match.

"The great thing about this team is the belief. Even the young lads are walking round on a high and there's no nerves at all going into each game."

The mood in the camp is so positive that Beckham says a special bond has developed between the players that nothing can break.

He said: "A lot of lads spend a lot of time in the massage room. It's a place where we can have a laugh and watch the game and things like that. There's a lot of banter in there.

"Sometimes in the past there has been negativity in the squad. But this time there's not been one player worried about a game, that's the freshness the young players have brought in.

"I've not heard any player talk about any team other than ours or about anyone else other than our players. We realise that this is a great chance for us. If we get through this game against Portugal anything can happen."

It's fighting talk from Beckham, who has worked hard in the tournament so far without hitting the kind of heights he has been used to in the past.

He admits he has had to make sacrifices for the sake of the team, taking on more defensive duties to allow Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard to get forward.

Not surprising, then, that his performances have been overshadowed by wonderkid Wayne Rooney, whose four goals in the tournament so far have made England one of the favourites for the title.

Beckham said: "It's great that Wayne is getting the attention, because he deserves it. And it doesn't feel odd that it's not me this time. It's great the people in England have got a great talent who is astounding not just the players but the fans at home.

"I've had my share of attention and I'm sure I'll carry on having it. I'm not jealous at all, I'm not a jealous person. I'm happy he's getting the attention because he deserves it and I think he can cope with it.

"He has a very strong family behind him and that's what he needs. That's what I've had.

"Without my family and friends I'm not sure I would be where I am. I owe a lot them and he will owe his family a lot for being strong for him as well."

One of the friends who has helped Beckham recently is Luis Figo, his clubmate at Real Madrid. The two have become close since Beckham moved to Spain and have spoken on the phone regularly during Euro 2004.

But the friendship will be put to one side when England and Portugal walk out onto the pitch in Lisbon tonight, even though it could be Figo's last game before he retires from international football.

Beckham said: "Luis has a great character and great aura about him. He's a massive player in Porgugal and loved by the fans. With this being his last competition and last games for his country he's determind to go out on a high. He proved that against Spain because he put everything into that game

"Playing with him week in week out you see a certain arrogance to him when he goes into matches and he's ready to play against anyone. It doesn't matter who he's up against and I think he's one of the best right wingers in the world.

"He has rung me a couple of times asking if my family are all right while I've been out here and if they need anything.

"Him and his wife have helped us a lot since we've been in Madrid and helped Victoria a lot. I have wished him luck before every game but obviously it will be different once we are on the pitch."

Figo is already responsible for giving Beckham some bad memories. It was the Madrid star who inspired an amazing comeback for Portugal when they were 2-0 down against England in Euro 2000 - but won 3-2 in the end.

Beckham said: "That game is a bad memory. The first 20 minutes when we were 2-0 up we were cruising, but then all of a sudden Figo ran through the middle of us and put one in the top corner. And it was all downhill from then.

"You look at memories like that and you don't want them again. I wouldn't like that feeling walking off that pitch, and the fans' reaction after that game. I wouldn't want to experience that again and I think we can learn a lot from that match. So this time we intend to beat them."