Experts have been lining up to agree England can win the World Cup like frantic shoppers chattering at the deli counter.

Sven-Goran Eriksson, David Beckham, the heroes of 1966, Franz Beckenbauer, Jurgen Klinsmann and Marco van Basten have taken their turn.

In fact, many believe England will never have a better chance.

When you take into account the quality, age and experience of the squad, a European venue and a four-week rest at the end of the season, this has to be the year of the Three Lions.

But doubts persist, perhaps the pessimistic legacy of 40 years of general bad luck and under-achievement in the competition.

Key injuries to Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and Ashley Cole have just added to those doubts.

The shape of Eriksson's midfield is another cause for concern.

Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard have yet to produce their best form in tandem despite repeated assurances that they can do it.

Beckham has not scored a goal for his country this season and the issue of a holding midfielder remains unresolved.

At the back, England will look solid if Cole makes it through but Rio Ferdinand's sloppy performance against Uruguay was a timely reminder that he is a long way from his brilliant form in the 2002 World Cup.

These are Eriksson's main worries but there were no grumbles from the Swede about the draw.

He returned from Germany, in December, barely able to hide his delight after being plunged into a group with Trinidad and Tobago, Paraguay and his native Sweden.

It does not provoke the feelings of dread which accompanied the draw for 2002, when England were grouped with Argentina, Nigeria and Sweden.

Paraguay are the eternal dark horses of South America. They are traditionally rugged and ruthless but rarely travel well.

England, however, will arrive at their World Cup base in Germany's Black Forest confident of winning their first game in Frankfurt, on June 10.

And it will be one of the biggest shocks in the history of the World Cup finals if Trinidad and Tobago take so much as a point from Eriksson's team.

But Sweden, who have not lost to England in 11 games since 1968, will be a serious test.

They qualified impressively, despite losing twice to Croatia, but were beaten 3-0 in a friendly in the Republic of Ireland, this year, and have come to rely heavily on Juventus striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

England expect to win Group B and favourites Brazil, the team everyone wants to avoid, expect to win Group F ahead of Croatia, Australia and Japan.

If both teams succeed in topping their groups and then sweep through the knockout stages, they will collide in the semi-finals.

If England finish second in their group, they are likely to avoid Brazil until the final but they will probably have to face Germany, in Munich, in the second round and a tougher run-through the early knockout rounds.

Eriksson would definitely prefer to win the group and go confidently into the second round, possibly setting up a reunion with Poland, beaten twice in qualification.

This route is likely to mean a quarter-final against Portugal, Argentina or Holland and then the Brazilians in the last four.

But the lesson of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea and Euro 2004 is that is sheer folly to try to predict the results.

One of England's greatest assets this year will be their self-belief.

The squad is packed with strong characters, seasoned at this level and who will not be daunted by the prospect of stepping onto the same pitch as the Dutch or the Argentinians.

True, England were beaten by Northern Ireland with most of these players available, but that defeat came during Eriksson's autumn experiments with new formations and Beckham sitting in front of the back four.

The England boss also tried Ledley King and Michael Carrick in the midfield holding role but it is safe to assume he will revert to his favourite shape here.

Only in the latter stages, when England meet the heavyweights, will the Swede be tempted to tinker again with his 4-4-2 formation.

History dictates that the real key to winning the World Cup is having a team full of world-class players. England certainly have that.

"The players you would normally look forward to seeing are in our team," says skipper Beckham.

Top of that list is Rooney and the young Liverpudlian could prove the difference between more close-but-no-cigar agony and a glorious victory - if he can make a remarkable recovery from that foot injury.

When available he gives England the extra dimension, in the same way as Ronaldinho and Zinedine Zidane supplied the x-factor for the teams which won the last two World Cups.

To lose Rooney and have Owen short of match fitness does not bear thinking about.

Eriksson will have his players together for four weeks before the tournament to bond and recharge their batteries after a long domestic campaign.

Then comes the moment of truth - not only for the players - but for the manager too because it is Eriksson's last chance to get his hands on the golden World Cup trophy and go down in history.

Eriksson is sweating on his injuries but everything seems to be in place.

The last man to lift the trophy after a World Cup final in Germany was Beckenbauer in 1974. England were not at those finals.

Beckenbauer said: "England are the best team in Europe and they have a good chance. Brazil have the best chance but England can beat Brazil. Why not?"

How They Qualified

England's path to the Finals was littered with moments of controversy and intrigue, with Eriksson's men stuttering their way to the top of Group Six.

The opening clash, a seemingly straightforward fixture in Austria, set the tone for the rest of the campaign. Two goals up with more than 25 minutes remaining, David James' howler allowed the hosts to claim a point.

Jermain Defoe then starred in a vital win against Poland, but the recovery was undermined in the next game.

Despite beating Wales 2-0, Beckham suffered an injury and admitted he sought to get booked to effectively use up a suspension. Beckham had the integrity of his tactics questioned, and eventually apologised.

With Beckham injured and suspended, Owen deputised as skipper for the next game and responded by scoring the only goal of the game in Azerbaijan.

Eriksson's men capped off last season with straightforward wins against Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan at home in back-to-back matches, putting them in a good position for when the campaign resumed.

However, England's confidence was then rocked by a friendly defeat to Denmark - with James taking much of the blame - which prompted Eriksson to alter his tactics to the fashionable 4-5-1 formation.

The change in approach did not mark an improvement. England limped to the 1-0 win in Wales, courtesy of a deflected Joe Cole strike and a world-class save by Paul Robinson.

The wheels then appeared to fall off against Northern Ireland. Rooney lost his temper with Beckham, and David Healy compounded this by snatching a winner

Victories at home against Austria and Poland marked an improvement in performance from England, although they had made life difficult for themselves before sealing a place in the finals.

World Cup History

Since Geoff Hurst rattled the Wembley crossbar and fired England to the top of the world little has gone right for the country in World Cup football.

Scapegoats include a cat, a clown, a turnip and the Hand of God but Lady Luck seems to have vanished into the London night with a Soviet linesman.

In Mexico 70, Sir Alf Ramsey's squad was arguably better than the one which had won the trophy in 1966.

Off they went to Mexico, surviving a scandal when skipper Bobby Moore was arrested for stealing a bracelet, and they looked in good shape.

A 1-0 defeat to Brazil in the group was seen as nothing more than a dress rehearsal for the final.

Pele and Moore, freed from his Bogota cell, embraced and swapped shirts after the game but there was no rematch because England squandered a 2-0 lead in their quarter-final against West Germany.

Peter Bonetti, nicknamed 'the Cat', was thrown into the game when Gordon Banks was struck down with food poisoning and slated for his performance as the Germans fought back to win 3-2 in extra time.

England did not make it to the finals in 1974, thwarted by a Polish keeper called Jan Tomaszewski, who had been dubbed a clown by Brian Clough.

Argentina 78 came and went without the English too but Ron Greenwood's team jetted to Spain full of confidence in 1982.

England did not concede a goal in five games but went out in the second group stage.

Kevin Keegan took the blame, coming off the bench in the final game against Spain after injury and fluffing a good chance to win the game with a header.

Gary Lineker won the Golden Boot in Mexico, in 1986, but Diego Maradona shattered the English dream just as Bobby Robson's team were recovering after an awful start.

Robson was still at the helm in Italia 90, when England reached the semi-finals inspired by Paul Gascoigne, only to lose in a penalty shoot-out to Germany.

It was the country's first shoot-out heartache but not the last.

Graham Taylor was haunted by Holland's Ronald Koeman, who escaped a clear red card and then scored with a twice-taken free-kick in a crucial qualifier for USA 94.

"Do I not like that,'' groaned Taylor on his way to the exit, decorating the game with a much-loved quote as consolation for missing the finals.

David Beckham was the villain in 1998 when he was sent off for kicking Diego Simeone in a second-round game against Argentina.

Glenn Hoddle's team were on top after Michael Owen had fired them into the lead with a brilliant solo goal but, after Beckham's red, 10-man England had to battle through extra time for a 2-2 draw.

Sol Campbell saw a goal ruled out and Argentina won the shoot-out after David Batty volunteered to take the first penalty of his life - and missed.

Beckham exorcised his personal horror, four years later, scoring the only goal against Argentina in the World Cup finals in Japan and Korea.

The joy was short-lived, however, as David Seaman boobed against Brazil, Ronaldinho's cross floated into the top corner and England came home at the

quarter-final stage.

England's World Cup adventure had begun miserably in 1950, losing 1-0 to USA and crashing out in the first round.

England, despite a formidable team, won just two of 11 games during the next three World Cup final tournaments in Switzerland, Sweden and Chile.

It was not an impressive start until Hurst and the Russian linesman - who was actually from Azerbaijan and not Russia - and the heroes of 66 sent the level of expectation soaring.