Ehiogu and Southgate will be eager to impress Eriksson

UGO EHIOGU and Gareth Southgate have vowed to unleash four months of pent-up frustration on Slovakia if they are asked to fill the defensive hole left by Sol Campbell and Rio Ferdinand this weekend.

The Middlesbrough centre-back pairing is set to start in an international for the first time together after Sven-Goran Eriksson's first-choice defensive duo were ruled out.

While Ferdinand was already facing a knee operation, Campbell has been forced to pull out of Saturday's opening Euro 2004 qualifier due to a severe bout of gastroenteritis.

His health will be reassessed on Sunday ahead of next week's qualifier against Macedonia, but while David Beckham and Ashley Cole should be fit despite missing training yesterday, Campbell is unable to travel to Bratislava.

Jonathan Woodgate is another option, but the England coach is more likely to turn to the experience of Ehiogu and Southgate, who have played together at club level for Aston Villa and Boro for almost seven years.

They have presided over six clean sheets already this season, know all about Slovakia striker Szilard Nemeth, their Boro team-mate, and each have a point to prove.

Southgate watched the World Cup in frustration as an unused substitute, while Ehiogu was overtaken in the race for the squad in the final furlong by Martin Keown after being injured in the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal.

Ehiogu, whose four England caps have so far come as a substitute, declared: "It took a long time for me to get over not being involved at the World Cup after being so close.

"I had a good chance of starting the game against Paraguay (the final friendly before the squad was picked) and no one could have envisaged an injury three days beforehand.

"It used to tear me up watching squads being announced after that and I couldn't even watch some of the England games.

"The idea of starting the game now is not a daunting thought. These big occasions are what you're in football for.

While Ehiogu missed the World Cup, Southgate even at the age of 31 with almost 50 caps behind him did not get to play a single minute as Campbell and Ferdinand were such an assured duo.

Southgate certainly believes the duo will be ready for the challenge.

All the attention to detail shown by Steve McClaren at Boro, as well as defensive coach Steve Harrison, allied to extra training sessions every Thursday afternoon, will have truly paid off.

Southgate, who moved to Boro from Villa in search of regular international football, said: "Sol and Rio are outstanding players, but we feel we are good as any other combination in the Premiership and have a better record this season than anyone else.

"I feel I'm as good as anyone in the country, on top of my game and stronger and quicker than I've ever been."

Southgate stands by his comments that England lacked enough self-belief to beat Brazil in the World Cup quarter-finals.

But he insists that achieving that required confidence is within reach.

"It's small things that we need to challenge the very best in the world and mentality is probably high up in that list.

"We have to make sure we do make ourselves the best team in the World Cup and I have no hesitation in my mind to say that we have the players in this country to do that."