England vs. Bulgaria: Starting Lineups, Matchup Breakdown and Injury Reports

England comes into Friday's Euro qualifying match at the top of Group G, tied with Montenegro with 11 points each.

Their opponent, a hard-fighting Bulgarian team, is hanging on by a thread in the competition after a pair of disappointing draws, their only victory in the competition so far against Wales last October. A loss in Sofia on Friday would be the end. But before the the Tricolors throw in the towel, they've still got three matches in the group stage, and with home-field advantage and hungry after England's 4-0 decimation at Wembley last year, this match may be one to watch after all. 

Click on for Friday's starting lineups, matchday considerations and injury reports, and get ready to watch the Lions take on the Three Lions. 

Lineup: England

England:

In choosing his squad for Euro, Capello has kept his eye on young talent, and, well, Young's talent. After Ashley Young, the recent Manchester United signing, scored two goals in a brilliant performance against Arsenal last weekend, all eyes are on him as a power player for England this weekend. Fellow fresh-faced Red Devils Tom Cleverley (22), Phil Jones (19) and Chris Smalling (21) all caught the England manager's eye as injuries and personnel changes created more opportunities for the young players to get experience on the field, and even have a few shining moments, among them Smalling's goal in United's Community Shield victory.

Plenty of familiar faces dot the lineup—John Terry, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney—but some notable absences can be found as well. Former interim captain Steven Gerrard is out, still recovering from a groin injury. Peter Crouch is nowhere to be found and Man U newcomer Danny Welbeck, despite having a strong start to the season including a goal in last week's Arsenal 8-2 trouncing, did not join his fellow young'ns on the England squad due to a hamstring injury.

Capello named the full 25-man lineup last week for the match against Bulgaria and the following fixture against Wales at Wembley on Sept. 6.

Full lineup:

Goalkeepers: 
Robert Green (West Ham United), Joe Hart (Manchester City), David Stockdale (Ipswich Town - on Loan From Fulham) 

Defenders: 
Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Bolton Wanderers), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton),  Phil Jones (Manchester United), Joleon Lescott (Manchester City), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), John Terry (Chelsea) 

Midfielders: 
Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Stewart Downing (Liverpool), Adam Johnson (Manchester City), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Manchester City), Scott Parker (West Ham United), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Ashley Young (Manchester United)

Forwards: 
Darren Bent (Aston Villa), Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) 

Predicted starting XI: Hart; Cole, Terry, Baines, Richards; Lampard, Downing, Young, Barry; Bent, Rooney.  

Lineup: Bulgaria

Bulgaria: 

Lothar Matthäus is a name England fans will recognize—a successful penalty shot for West Germany helped prevent the Three Lions from reaching the 1990 World Cup final. Now, as the coach of Bulgaria, he's out to stop them in their tracks again.

Like Capello, Matthäus is looking to young talent from within the Bulgarian league, calling up several promising young players from CSKA and Levski Sofia. Look for 21-year-old CSKA striker Spas Delev to make waves in a late appearance.    

A notable absence from Bulgaria's lineup is Levski Sofia vice-captain Vladimir Gadzhev, originally called up but having to bow out due to injury. 

Full lineup:

Goalkeepers: Nikolay Mihaylov (FC Twente), Vladislav Stoyanov (Sheriff Tiraspol) 

Defenders: Ivan Bandalovski (CSKA Sofia), Zhivko Milanov (Vaslui), Nikolay Bodurov (Litex Lovech), Alexander Tunchev (Crystal Palace), Valentin Iliev (Steaua Bucuresti), Ivan Ivanov (Partizan), Kostadin Stoyanov (CSKA Sofia), Peter Zanev (Litex Lovech) 

Midfielders: Blagoy Georgiev (Terek Grozny), Stilian Petrov (Aston Villa), Tsvetomir Tzonkov (Chernomorets Burgas), George Sarmov (Kasımpaşa), Marquinhos (Anorthosis Famagusta), Stanislav Manolev (PSV Eindhoven) 

Forwards: Ivelin Popov (Gaziantepspor), Martin Petrov (Bolton Wanderers), Spas Delev (CSKA Sofia), Tsvetan Genkov (Wisla Krakow), George Bozhilov (Cherno More Varna)

Predicted starting XI: 

Mihaylov; Tunchev, Zanev, Bandalovski, Iliev; S. Petrov, Manolev, Marquinhos, Georgiev; M. Petrov, Popov.

England vs Bulgaria: Matchup Considerations

England:

• Predictable You: Even with the influx of fresh, exciting talent on the England squad, fans are expecting Fabio Capello to stick to his old guns when choosing his starters. Expect him to rely on the usual suspects—Cole, Lampard, Bent, Rooney. And that's not to say the strategy isn't warranted, considering Bent has had strong performances in his last few international matches and Rooney has been playing freakishly well so far this season. But with the next couple of qualifying matches looking like fairly effortless wins for the Three Lions and a glut of new talent capped this time around, maybe it's time Fabio gave some rookies a shot.   

• The Red Menace: As mentioned before, the biggest story leading into this match is the amount of young Manchester United players who made Capello's squad. Expect Phil Jones, who Capello tapped for the squad for the Aug. 5 friendly against the Netherlands (which was later canceled due to the riots), to make an appearance on the pitch.    

• Downing Up: Friday could be a big night for Stewart Downing. Liverpool's new wide man is fitting in well with the Reds' midfield, and Capello seems to have taken a shine to him. Downing seemed enthusiastic about joining former fellow Villan Ashley Young in Sofia; let's hope his excitement translates on the field.  

Bulgaria:

• Looking For Leadership: The Tricolors have been searching for a leader that can compare with its former star, Manchester United forward Dimitar Berbatov, who retired in 2010. Berbatov had stepped in in 2006 to replace current honcho Stilian Petrov—Petrov had stepped down as captain after a dispute with then-skipper Hristo Stoichkov. Back in good graces and a fan favorite, Petrov lacks the raw talent of a Berbatov but certainly possesses the commitment and staying power with more than 100 appearances for Bulgaria.

• Deleverance: 21-year-old CSKA Sofia striker Spas Delev is one to watch. With eight goals in six Bulgarian Cup appearances and some signs of life during last year's Europa League play, he has the makings to become an offensive powerhouse. Expect him to come in as a substitute and wreak some havoc. 

Injuries

Out for England: Steven Gerrard (groin injury), Danny Welbeck (hamstring)

New talent in the midfield and strong players like Ashley Young and Gareth Barry will make up for the absence of Stevie G, although his presence as a leader and Three Lions regular will be missed. Welbeck's injury is particularly disappointing—after a great start to the season, this would have been a nice opportunity for the forward to get his feet wet on the international circuit.  

Out for Bulgaria: Chavdar Yankov (Achilles tendon), Apostol Popov (cruciate ligament), Vladimir Gadzhev 

Without Yankov, Bulgaria loses one of its top leadership figures. In addition to serving as an interim captain during one of Petrov's absences, Yankov is a consistent, committed force and has had a few nice international goals.