England v Portugal
Saturday 01 July 2006
World Cup, Quarter-Final
Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen
4pm kick off (London Time)
29 June 2006
VIDEO: Gary Neville pre-Portugal
Gary Neville is fit and raring to go after recovering from a calf injury and has targetted a place in the semi-finals.
Gary Neville has sent a stirring message to his England teammates and to the whole nation ahead of Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against Portugal.

The Manchester United defender, fit again after a calf injury, believes this is the game where the Three Lions can truly be judged - and has called for the entire nation to be positive.

He said: "My thoughts are all positive for Saturday. I’m thinking about the opportunity, about the importance of the occasion for the country, about how proud all of us should be to be involved in it.

"How many players get the opportunity to play in a World Cup quarter-final for England? Not many - we have that opportunity and we have to go and make the most of it. I believe there is a time and a moment for players to deliver. And I think it's Saturday."

Neville will send his troops into battle with a rousing war cry in Gelsenkirchen and he accepts this England team will be judged on how they perform here in Germany.

He said: "There will be no excuses. I said that before the tournament. I think we're relatively honest and if we fail you on Saturday as a country, then we have to hold our hands up and say we haven't delivered. We’ll have to say this talk of us being potential world champions was rubbish. But I’m confident.

"This is it. Saturday for us is the measure of this team. In four years time, we're in South Africa, it could be 45 degrees, we might not qualify, we could get a group of death.

"But we've had a pretty decent track to this quarter-final and we've got to beat Portugal to get into a World Cup semi-final. Is this England team capable of doing it? I believe the answer is yes."

Neville has challenged his team mates to rise to the occasion against Portugal, four years after losing to them on penalties in the last eight of Euro 2004, and he is confident they can do it.

He said: "They have to respond to the challenge if they want to be recognised as a great England team. Other than that, we'll be recognised as a nearly team, a team that promised, had potential but didn't deliver. And that will be how you're perceived in years to come.

"The measure of this team will be in this tournament. We couldn't have had a better preparation, we couldn't have had a better run of fixtures to get us to this stage, we're two games away from a World Cup final.

"Can we win two football matches? Well, I think this team is capable of beating anybody - we have shown that on our day.

"There's great expectation, but expectation that I think is correct and right and we shouldn't shy away from it. And we haven't shied away from it from the start of the tournament. We won't be coming to you on Saturday night and saying well, 2008 could be our time. We'd said all along that 2006 was it.

"In 2008, I still think we'll have a great squad. I still think we'll have a great chance of winning the European Championship but this now is our best opportunity. We're here, two days away from it. We've got to take it."