Eriksson ready to slay Scolari jinx as England eye last four

Swedish head coach of the England team Sven Goran Eriksson (L) and Portugal's Brazilian head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari (R). England are determined to strike it third time lucky Saturday by hurdling Portugal and their charismatic coach Scolari to reach the World Cup semi-finals

England are determined to strike it third time lucky Saturday by hurdling Portugal and their charismatic coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to reach the World Cup semi-finals.

Twice in two tournaments under Sven-Goran Eriksson, England have been bundled out in the last eight, suffering the crushing disappointment of early exits at championships they had entertained hopes of winning.

The common thread linking those twin ejections at the 2002 World Cup and European Championship in 2004 is Portugal coach Scolari.

Unsurprisingly, Saturday's instalment has been billed as a duel between the larger-than-life Scolari and the passionless Eriksson, whose team have stumbled into the last eight without coming close to producing their best form.

Eriksson, who has insisted that England will be able to raise their game when it counts, may never have a better chance of getting the Scolari monkey off his back as Portugal struggle to regroup after suspensions to key players.

But if Eriksson sees Saturday's showdown as a personal shoot-out with his nemesis, he is not letting on in public.

"I don't feel it's me against Scolari at all," he said. "It's England against Portugal, it's the quarter-final of the World Cup, and it's important to win it. I think we can."

Eriksson's pointed refusal to view the contest as a time to settle a score with Scolari is partly his problem, according to the Swede's critics.

A more formidable character would seek to use past defeats as a motivational tool to inspire his players.

Eriksson, however, does not do revenge and makes no apologies for his reserved dug-out demeanour, which is in stark contrast to the arm-waving, gesticulating touch-line histrionics of Brazilian Scolari.

"I couldn't care less," Eriksson said when asked if he was bothered by the unflattering comparisons of his management style to Scolari.

"I've heard it for 30 years. Every time you lose a football game, something is wrong with the manager. I have no intention of changing. And if I haven't changed by now then I probably never will."

England players Gary Neville (L) Steven Gerrard (2L) and David Beckham (R) pose with actor and supporters ambassador Ray Winstone (2R). England are determined to strike it third time lucky Saturday by hurdling Portugal and their charismatic coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to reach the World Cup semi-finals

Yet regardless of whether Eriksson's management is to blame, it is undeniable that England have been far less than the sum of their parts in four matches so far.

Having started the tournament lined up in 4-4-2, Eriksson is expected to persist with a 4-1-4-1 formation against Portugal.

With Gary Neville expected to return from a calf injury, Owen Hargreaves is likely to move into the holding role, allowing midfielders Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard licence to surge forward in support of lone striker Wayne Rooney.

David Beckham knows that another below-par performance could well spell the end of England's World Cup.

"It has to click," the England skipper said. "Because we're talking about the quarter-final of a World Cup, the biggest competition in the world.

"If it doesn't click now, we have to sit back and look at why it hasn't done. There are certain times in games where we have come together for moments -- that has to happen for the whole of the match."

Beckham's loyal lieutenant Neville said that there could be no more excuses if England failed again.

"I believe there is a time and a moment for players to deliver, and I believe it is Saturday," said Neville.

"If we fail then we have to hold our hands up and say, 'we haven't delivered, that the talk about us being potential world champions was rubbish.' So this is it for us."

Eriksson has drilled into his players the need for discipline against Portugal, with John Terry, Jamie Carragher and goalkeeper Paul Robinson all just one yellow card away from suspension.

Portugal's players were involved in what was officially the dirtiest match in World Cup history on Sunday, when they downed Holland 1-0 in a brutal encounter that saw 16 yellow cards and four sendings off.

Among those to see red were key playmaker Deco and midfield enforcer Costinha, both of whom will be suspended against England.

Despite the blood-curdling nature of Portugal's second round win over the Dutch, Eriksson is not expecting a similar contest on Saturday.

"I'm not afraid of the behaviour of Portugal's footballers," Eriksson said. "I would be very surprised if there's a problem. Portuguese football is not known as violent or unfair and I worked in that country for five years. "But we have to be careful. Four years ago you could do some tackles that you would get away with but today you don't get away with anything.

"You get a yellow card for the smallest thing. So it's important not to make bad tackles when you absolutely don't need to do."