England coach Steve McClaren says his side must deliver
England v Croatia
Wembley, London
Wednesday 21 November
Kick-off: 2000 GMT
Coverage: Live on BBC One & BBC Radio 5 Live (commentary on BBC Sport website for UK users only); Coverage on on BBC Sport website
Steve McClaren admits England are under pressure to prove they deserve to reach Euro 2008 in Wednesday's decisive qualifier with Croatia at Wembley.
England need a point to secure their place in next summer's tournament.
And coach McClaren said: "There is great spirit and strength in the squad, and a steely resolve and determination, but there can be no excuses.
"The players have got to go out there and prove they deserve to reach Euro 2008. It is not done and dusted."
McClaren admitted he had endured tough times in his first 12 months in charge, but said: "I am thrilled to be in this position.
"We know we have got to finish things off, but we are in a far better position now that we have things in our own hands than we were a week ago.
606: DEBATE
England were gifted a qualification lifeline when Israel beat Russia 2-1 on Saturday - had Russia won, England would have been all but out of next summer's tournament.
The players were handed another psychological boost on Tuesday when the injured captain John Terry trained with the rest of the squad.
But Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard confirmed that he would stand in as captain because Terry was not fit enough to play.
Striker Peter Crouch said he was willing to shoulder the burden of being England's main goal threat in the key Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia should that be McClaren's decision.
The coach told a news conference that he had picked his team, but would not tell the players until 1830 on Tuesday evening. The team will be made public on Wednesday.
I have done the lone striker role for Liverpool and for England before so it would be nothing new
Peter Crouch
The 26-year-old Liverpool forward said: "I've played enough games for England now to be able to accept the responsibility.
"It's a massive game, but if selected I believe I can do the business."
He added: "I have done the lone striker role for Liverpool and for England before so it would be nothing new.
"We have got enough attacking players in the rest of the team who can join up with me and I can't see it being a problem.
"In David Beckham and the others we have quality and creativity, and I know if I get in the right positions they'll find me."
England were handed a lifeline on Saturday by Israel's surprise 2-1 over Russia, a result that puts Steve McClaren's side in the driving seat to reach the finals in Austria and Switzerland next summer.
Crouch believes England will not waste the opportunity to qualify and says they will benefit from having such a tough time in qualification.
"It was out of our hands for a little bit and we do not want that to happen again," said Crouch.
"We have to stand up and be counted now, it's in our hands and when we do qualify, we know we can have a great tournament.
"I wouldn't say we have been shocked, but we're maybe a bit wounded from some results we've had and I think we are capable of a lot more.
"I'm sure we will come good in the tournament next summer and we can all look forward to that if we get the job done on Wednesday."
England did win this October 13, 2007 match versus Estonia, 3-0 at Wembley Stadium. 
Steve McClaren and his deputy Terry Venables have both been sacked by the English Football Association after a unanimous decision by board members during an emergency meeting held earlier today. 

The decision was announced by the FA chief executive Brian Barwick in a press conference held this morning after widespread speculation due to the poor performance of the English national team which last night failed to qualify for the UEFA Euro 2008 competition.  The cost of removing him from his post is thought to cost £2.6 million.

According to a study by the Centre for Economic and Business Research, missing out on Euro 2008 could cost the British economy as much as £1 billion. 

The recruiting process has already started to find the next manager for the team, only 18 months after 46-year-old McClaren was given the role.  During the press conference the FA admitted that not qualifying for the competition was "embarrassing".