Shock start for Bobby Zamora

Posted Thursday, October 06, 2011 by Dailystar.co.uk

Shock start for Bobby Zamora
Above: Bobby Zamora is Ready to lead the England line

Fabio Capello is ready to give a shock first England start to Bobby Zamora in tomorrow’s crunch clash with Montenegro in Podgorica.

The England boss believes the Fulham star’s ability to hold the ball up could be key factor in the Group G showdown.

Capello sprang a surprise when he named Bolton’s Kevin Davies in his squad for the home tie against Montenegro a year ago.

Davies replaced Peter Crouch for the last 20 minutes as England were frustrated in a goalless draw. It remains the only occasion Davies, 34, has played for his country.

Zamora, 30, also has just one cap after coming on as a half-time sub in the 2-1 friendly victory over Hungary in 2010.

A source close to Capello said last night: “Wayne Rooney will play with somebody else, for sure. “Fabio is always really careful about the weakest point of the opponent.

“If he thinks the weakest point is behind the shoulder of their central defender, we will play with Danny Welbeck or Darren Bent.

“But if he’s convinced that the weakness is playing in the hole between the lines, then he will play Zamora, because he will be able to hold the ball, keep it and deliver it into space for somebody.”

It is understood Capello has decided to keep faith with Frank Lampard after leaving the Chelsea midfielder out of England’s last Group G trip, the 3-0 win in Bulgaria.

ENGLAND could be playing on Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays, UEFA have revealed. International qualifiers will be played between Thursdays and Tuesdays from 2014 to boost TV coverage and income.

Teams will have just a two-day break between matches in World Cup and European Championship double-headers.

They will play either Thursdays and Sundays, Fridays and Mondays, or Saturdays and Tuesdays.