Frank Lampard
England boss Roy Hodgson has confirmed Frank Lampard will earn his 100th cap against Ukraine on Tuesday.
The Chelsea midfielder, 35, will become
only the eighth Three Lions player to reach the milestone, joining
teammates Steven Gerrard and Ashley Cole.
Hodgson said he would make one change to
the side that beat Moldova 4-0, with midfielder James Milner likely to
replace banned striker Danny Welbeck.
England lead Group H but will be overtaken by Ukraine if they lose.
Hodgson said, “Frank will play tomorrow
night so that’s a quite a first. I’ve been very lucky to have three
players who have reached [100 caps in the same side] and all things
being equal Frank will start and get his 100th cap.
“Basically, there will only be one
change in the team, that will be the person who replaces Welbeck. I will
leave it to you to make your assumptions.”
Manchester City midfielder Milner gained a glowing report from Hodgson in the aftermath of the victory over Moldova on Friday.
Hodgson’s declaration means right-back
Kyle Walker will continue in the side despite pictures being published
of the 23-year-old Tottenham player inhaling nitrous oxide.
The England manager said, “I am happy,
he has made his apologies and admitted a mistake. It was a long time
ago, he’d forgotten it. It would have been much worse had it happened
this weekend.”
Lampard made his England debut in
October 1999 under previous boss Kevin Keegan in a 2-1 friendly win over
Belgium at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light.
Since then he has gone on to score 29 times for his country and has captained them five times.
Captain Gerrard, who along with Cole
will equal Billy Wright’s 105 caps, said, “It’s going to be a fantastic
occasion for Frank and I’m delighted for him.
“Me and Ashley did that recently and
will move on to be level with the legend in Billy Wright, and we all
want to remember it for the right result. I lost on my 100th cap but
hopefully it will be different for Frank.”
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