Beckham 'feeling good'

David Beckham is confident he will be fit to lead England in the Euro 2004 qualifier in Macedonia.

The England captain missed training on Thursday because of a groin injury and was rated doubtful for Saturday's game.

But the problem has responded well to treatment and Beckham is optimistic about his chances of playing not only in Skopje, but also against Liechtenstein on Wednesday.

Beckham, who picked up his groin injury playing for Real Madrid against Villareal, said: "Today's is the first time I've trained. We'll see how it goes but its feeling good and hopefully it'll go well.

"I think I only tweaked the muscle but you have to be 100% fit to play in these games.

"The work that's been done on my leg has been quite intense - I think it'll be okay."

Beckham wants to play a part in securing two victories which would improve England's chances of qualifying for next summer's event in Portugal.

He added: "Everyone knows how important these games are for us, starting tomorrow.

"We're not underestimating Macedonia. They should have beaten Turkey and have been unlucky in a few games."

Beckham added: "When I first moved to Real Madrid I said I wanted to become a better player and, from being in Spain and playing with these great players in a month and half, I have learned and am going to go on learning."

Asked about the possibility of playing on a bumpy pitch, the England captain said: "It's the same for both teams. Sometimes you come across pitches that are not as good as others but you still have to perform.

"This is a very tricky tie whether we have the players who usually play or not. The players coming in can do the job. We are confident."

Beckham is also confident any England fans who do get into the ground will behave themselves.

"I don't know whether they have ignored the warnings [about travelling] but they may have paid out a lot of money to come here. It costs a lot to watch England play.

"Hopefully the game will go off without trouble. It is a football game and people come to enjoy it.

"The message is to enjoy the game and concentrate on that. None of us want to see trouble. It is important for us as a country and a team. It affects the players when we hear and see things and it affects us as a nation.

"But the support we get from England fans is amazing. It is better than most countries get."

Beckham also refused to look beyond the Macedonia match.

"This is a double header and people are talking to me about the game on Wednesday at Old Trafford. We aren't thinking that far ahead. It's important we don't slip up on Saturday.

"But, if in the end we have to go to Istanbul and win the game against Turkey to qualify, we're confident we can.

"It would be easier if they [Turkey] slip up and we win [against Macedonia and Liechtenstein]. If not we'll go there and get a result.

"Macedonia is a big game, people are talking about the players missing but we need to concentrate on those who are playing."