In a night of friendlies, this will be easily one of the most interesting ones, and given the passion and history between the sides, probably not as friendly as one would imagine. Both England and the Netherlands are in blistering form. The Dutch are reigning supreme on top of Group Nine with seven matches played, seven wins and 21 points accumulated, dead certain to make the trip to South Africa, with Scotland in second place with seven points from five matches.

The hosts will be entertaining an equally ruthless side, as England are also in a commanding stance in Group Six, one of their best ever performances in the qualification rounds, with 21 points out of seven outings. And its precisely this spell of impressive performances which have given hope to the long suffering England supporters that Fabio Capello's side could finally stand a realistic chance of success next summer.

England are playing beautiful football, but the Italian has managed a few other, on the surface trivial, even humourous achievements, but vital nevertheless. The discipline is fierce, the WAGs (wives and girlfriends) have been banned, and England are both entertaining and effective. The omens are good – unless there are serious England casualties at the end of this Premiership season, ahead of South Africa 2010.

Speaking of casualties, Aston Villa's Ashley Young will replace Liverpool's dynamo Steven Gerrard in England's friendly against the Netherlands on Wednesday night, as Gerrard was sidelined with a groin injury in training, which at this point is a greater concern for the Anfield faithful than the England supporters.

Additionally, Theo Walcott pulled out of training on Tuesday, and Emile Heskey is doubtful with an Achilles injury

Chelsea and England captain, meanwhile, John Terry will be winning his 54th cap for his country. Ahead of the match, in an interview for the BBC, Terry has said that he believes the friendly against the Netherlands is the first chance for players to push for a starting place at the 2010 World Cup.

"The ultimate prize is there. People could earn a place in the starting eleven," Terry told BBC Radio 5 live.

"It's a friendly but we want to kick start from where we left off."

Following the thumping of Kazakhstan, Andorra and Croatia, this will be a welcomed reality check for England. The Netherlands will provide a stiff test, and make no mistake, this will not be the friendliest of friendlies. Both sides will be really up for it.