Beckham wants to face Yorke

Nine Trinidad and Tobago players play for English clubs with several also campaigning in Scotland. Yesterday West Ham goalkeeper Shaka Hislop said he was excited about facing the Group "B" top seeds after the official draw for the tournament was made in Leipzig.

Trinidad and Tobago, playing in the tournament for the first time were grouped with England, Sweden and Paraguay.

"I am buzzing," Hislop told BBC Radio. "We weren’t too fussed about who we drew— we knew we were going to get hard matches but it was the one we really wanted because there are so many players over here.

"Countries like us bring something to the World Cup," Hislop said.

Dennis Lawrence, whose goal in a play-off against Bahrain put Trinidad into the World Cup, was delighted to be facing England, where he plays for League Two’s Wrexham. "I can imagine how the fans are feeling because I am so excited about it myself," Lawrence said. "It was brilliant looking at our name come out in the same group as England. We are involved in a group with some really good countries."

England captain David Beckham said he was looking forward to playing Trinidad’s best-known player — his former Manchester United teammate Dwight Yorke

"He is someone who I share many great memories with," Beckham said. England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson blamed fate for pitting his England team once more against his homeland Sweden in Friday’s draw for next year’s finals. England avoided the heavyweights and were also drawn against Paraguay, who they beat at the 1986 World Cup, and debutante Trinidad and Tobago.

"They are difficult matches, but I am happy with the group," Eriksson told BBC television from the draw in Leipzig, Germany. "It could have been worse, much worse."

Eriksson also was in charge when England drew 1-1 with Sweden at the 2002 World Cup. England hasn’t beaten Sweden in 11 matches since 1968.

"It’s destiny, I suppose," Eriksson said. "I thought with statistics that we shouldn’t have drawn them because we played them at the last World Cup but that’s life and sooner or later we have to beat them." Sweden were confident their record would stay intact.

"It seems it’s fate that we’ll play them again and again," said Sweden midfielder Niclas Alexandersson, who scored against England in 2002. "But we have good statistics against them. We know them well and we know it’s a team that we can beat."

Beckham said he was happy with the draw.

"Paraguay are a bit of an unknown quantity, but we will be prepared fully when we meet them," Beckham told England’s Football Association website. "To use an old football cliche, there are no easy games. We have to go out and prove we are one of the favourites."

Eriksson was happy to have avoided the Netherlands and Australia, which has a long-standing sporting rivalry with England. England have beaten Paraguay in both their previous meetings, but never played Trinidad and Tobago.

"At least on paper, we are the favourites together with Sweden to go through, but you never know," he said.