Sven not worried about Swedes kicking Beckham

Sven-Goran Eriksson says he is not worried about the threat of Sweden trying to kick David Beckham out of the World Cup if the England captain plays in the opening game.

Eriksson's confidence that Beckham will make the starting line-up against the Swedes was put into perspective by his assistant, Tord Grip, who admits the midfielder's chance are still only "50-50".

However, the England coach does not believe that Sweden's players would be unscrupulous enough to target Beckham in Sunday's game if he appears at any stage.

"I'm not afraid of that. I have never even thought about it as it would never be in my head to tell a player to hurt an opponent," said Eriksson.

He would also count upon his compatriots, joint Swedish coaches Tommy Soderberg and Lars Lagerback, not to do so either.

"You don't do that," said the England coach.

Eriksson believes Beckham must first be assured that the second metatarsal bone in his left foot has properly healed before he can start flying into tackles again.

He has yet to decide whether the midfielder needs another scan to determine this, but at least Beckham took part in a "very active" training session and was said to be "progressing well".