© EuroFootball.com
Many of the world's best safeties will cross swords on Sunday in matches of immense importance between the national teams of England and France.
Although both sides have top-class attackers - Michael Owen and Thierry Henry, the fate of the B group match will most likely be determined in the midfield.
The already fiery mix consisting of Steven Gerrard and Patrick Vieira will be further spiced by the fact that several club colleagues will play against each other at the Estadio da Luz stadium in Lisbon.
The duel between England captain David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane will be watched through the magnifying glass after a disappointing season together at Real Madrid.
Beckham is a huge fan of three-time world's best footballer, and his right back position in the England team will see him facing Zidane, who usually plays on the left side of the defensive line for France.
"Zidane is one of the best players, if not the best in the world," said Beckham.
Although Beckham has gained a good reputation for his hard work and willingness to take on the ball, the upcoming meeting will require one of the best performances of his career, wearing the England national team jersey.
"Playing with him is a pleasure, but playing against him will be very difficult," concluded Beckham.
The other two Premier League safeties, Gerrard and Vieira, have been engaged in painful ball contests for several years. Gerrard, who is more attacking than Vieira, can expect to face his old nemesis as he tries to move forward to help Owen and Wayne Rooney.
Vieira's partner in the holding midfielder line will be Claude Makelele, whose main job will be to silence the team's friend Frank Lampard. The latter is now in excellent form, and his game is what helped Roman Abramovich's club reach second place in the English championship and the Champions League semi-finals.
The 25-year-old player scored the first goal in Saturday's friendly match against Iceland, which ended in a 6-1 result. And his game performance seems to have convinced Sven-Goran Eriksson to keep Nicky Butt on the substitutes' bench.
England's left flank has been causing problems for a long time. Paul Scholes, most likely, will find an unusual place for himself, allowing Gerrard and Lampard to play in the middle.
Scholes is determined, but often excels in rough defensive skills, and may have trouble stopping Robert Pires, although the latter may have doubts in holding back the unstoppable spurts of the England national team player into the penalty area.
