Beckham recalled for England vs Brazil

Coach Steve McClaren has performed a u-turn of seismic proportions by recalling David Beckham, whom he dropped pretty much as soon as he took over from Sven, to the squad for the Three Lions' friendly with Brazil at Wembley on Friday. Golden Balls has been in fine form for Real Madrid towards the latter part of their La Liga campaign, leading not only to his reinstatement within the national squad, but also begging the question whether he is heading to the States too soon! In any case, Beckham looks poised to be named in the starting XI for Friday's match and for the crunch Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia on June 6. Whether McClaren's motive for recalling Becks has anything to do with self preservation given that he's already under-fire is questionable. However, the midfielder genuinely deserved his place back in the line-up judged on recent performances, regardless of the pressure that the manager is under. One hopes that Beckham's presence will prove inspiring, in light of England's decidedly uninspiring performances in their most recent matches. These are crucial times for England. Although this game is a friendly it's imperative that, win, lose or draw, they post a positive display. They beat Andorra by three goals to nil in their latest match, but prior to that they had gone five games without success, losing to Croatia and Spain, while drawing against Holland, Israel and Macedonia. It will be interesting to see England's approach tactically. With the precocious young talent Aaron Lennon ruled out through injury, one suspects Beckham will start on the right, alongside Lampard and Gerard, perhaps with Cole or Wright-Phillips on the left flank. They will all need to excel on Friday if an England win is to ensue. The Brazilians have won six of their last seven, which included a mesmerising performance to beat their arch-South American rivals Argentina 3-0 at The Emirates Stadium in September. But - and, no, I'm not pulling your leg - England are generally favourites to win this match at round the 6/4 mark, with Brazilin the region of 7/4. The Selecao are warming up for the Copa América in Venezuela, which commences on June 26, so Dunga will be looking for a strong performance from his charges. The new coach appears to be revitalising the Samba Boys following a disappointing World Cup campaign last year, in which they exited at the quarter-final stage against France. The hard-line approach adopted by Dunga has impressed the fans and pundits alike, while the results - just one defeat in their last nine - augurs well for the regime that the coach has imposed on the players. The more subtle approach of his predecessor, Carlos Alberto Parreira, has been well and truly phased out. Kaka and Ronaldinho have been granted dispensation fro the Copa América, but both will start on Friday. Gilberto of Hertha Berlin has taken the eye in the left wing-back position, while Sevilla's Daniel Alves will probably start in place of Cicinho on the right. Robinho and Vagner Love look set to spearhead the attack. Whether Brazil will be quite as attack-minded in this game as they usually are is something of an imponderable, but their threat is potent and Ferdinand and Terry, not to mention the full-backs, will have their work cut out. I do believe, however, that regardless of what happens elsewhere on the pitch, England's defense will emerge with credit. As much as I would like to predict a win for the home side, I just can't see it. I hope Michael Owen starts up front with Wayne Rooney, but given that he's only recently come back from a lengthy injury McClaren might decide to start him on the bench. I reckon that Brazil will give England problems, but doubt they'll go all-out, so perhaps this encounter will end in a draw, about which bet365 are the most generous, going 9/4. Verdict - 2pts Draw in the match result market @ 9/4 (bet365)