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Terry backs "fearless" young England in Berlin

19/11/2008

Captain John Terry has called on England's young side to "prove themselves" to coach Fabio Capello in tonight's match against Germany in Berlin.

With a number of big names such as Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard ruled out through injury, Capello will be forced to field an unusual side for the international friendly.

Players such as Michael Carrick, Darren Bent and Joleon Lescott, who are relatively inexperienced on the international stage, will get their chance to start for England in what is likely to be something of a makeshift lineup.

However, rather than suggesting the side may struggle without its top stars, Terry says the introduction of the younger players - which may also include the impressive Aston Villa duo of Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young - could give the visitors a vital cutting edge in Germany.

"You see the young players coming in and they are fearless both on and off the pitch," said Terry.

"We need that as well as experience. They can attack, defend and shoot, and the likes of Agbonlahor and Young are exciting and get people out of their seats.

"It's a chance for them to prove themselves to the manager. We are missing a lot of big players, but the young guys can set themselves up for the future."

Despite its label as a "friendly" Terry believes there can be no such thing in what is a fixture with a rich history of controversial incidents and rivalry.

"I don't think that England against Germany can ever be classed as a friendly, not with the history between the sides," the Chelsea defender continued.

"I still remember the 2-1 loss at Wembley [in August 2007], and we can learn a lot from that game.

"We have a lot of youngsters here aiming to prove a point, and we're aiming to do well - let's hope we can win the game."