Lee Dixon: Resilient England can hold developing Brazil on Cole's big night at Wembley

6Feb 2013

Betfair

The Wembley factor should work in England's favour, says Lee Dixon, who expects the national team to hold Brazil in Ashley Cole's 100th game for the national side...

Brazil face England under the Wembley floodlights on Wednesday in a blue-chip game for a blue-chip player as Ashley Cole celebrates 100 games in the England shirt.

Cole has unquestionably been one of the finest fullbacks in the world over the last decade or so and I hope that achievement is celebrated in the right way by the home crowd. I had the benefit of knowing him in the dressing room as he came through at Arsenal and while he was a quiet lad back then, I always found him to be a nice guy. He has got some stick for off the field behaviour down the years but this wasn't a side I saw and, on his 100th cap, we should be recognising his achievements on the pitch.

The Chelsea left-back has been a loyal servant for the national team since making his debut in 2001. He gives his all at both ends of the pitch, and always values possession. Like every defender he can be caught out of position but his recovery play is fantastic. Very few players make the 100 cap milestone and for me it underlines the class Cole possesses. We should celebrate that.

To the game now and I have to say I'm excited about this one. Brazil are still the team in international football you should take the chance to watch them whenever you can. I'm a big lover of the Brazilian style of play and it's a real thrill to see that iconic shirt at an iconic venue with a potential world-class talent in Neymar likely to start upfront for the visitors.

The Santos striker is a tremendously exciting player - just YouTube him to get a flavour of his class - and his partnership with the resurgent Ronaldinho, who is starring for Atletico Mineiro this year, could provide some memorable moments.

With 94 caps, Ronaldinho isn't far behind Cole in the elder statesmen's club for international footballers but, him apart, Brazil are a mainly young, developing team. Hosting the World Cup in 2014, the pressure is beginning to build on Felipe Scolari's team but the signs are that they're rising to it. Although they lost against Argentina last time out, recent results have been good with a host of lesser teams dispatched by heavy scorelines without conceding.

The stats are in their favour too, with Opta telling us that England have won just three of their 23 previous internationals against Brazil, drawing nine and losing 11. The last Three Lions victory came in March 1990 courtesy of a Gary Lineker goal, in a game that took place just a few months before I made my debut.

Roy Hodgson took over before Euro 2012 but he's really only getting into his stride as national team manager and it's been generally positive - don't forget they've still only lost one game in 90 minutes under the 65-year-old. Qualification for Brazil 2014 is on a knife edge still, but the Three Lions have become hard to beat under Hodgson.

And I think that resilience, combined with the Wembley factor, can see England claim something from this match in the form of a morale-boosting stalemate with Scolari's men.

Brazil will understandably have their backers at 2.4 on Betfair but the draw is my selection with England's strong home form cancelling out a bit of that Brazilian brilliance. Armchair viewers and fans in the stadium should be in for a cracker too - I fancy both sides to score in what could be an entertaining match.

Just remember to put your hands together for Ashley Cole before kick-off please.

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