Belarus v England

England coach Fabio Capello will assess his options before deciding who will start their World Cup qualifier against Belarus in Minsk.

Skipper John Terry is still injured, while left-back Ashley Cole has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Matthew Upson deputised for Terry against Kazakhstan, while Wayne Bridge is the favourite to replace Cole.

Capello called up goalkeeper Joe Hart and central defender David Wheater from the Under-21 squad as reinforcements.

The pair played in the Under-21s' 2-2 draw with Wales at Villa Park on Tuesday that saw them reach next summer's European Championship finals.

After the game they flew straight to Minsk along with coach Stuart Pearce and will join up with the squad for a training session on Wednesday.

Gabriel Agbonlahor was also scheduled to make the trip but he has been forced to pull out after picking up a hamstring injury against Wales.

Pearce had offered to pull all three out of Tuesday's Under-21 game but senior coach Franco Baldini refused.

"Franco just said definitely not, the game was too important," said Pearce. "Part of my job is to get results, educate them and get them through to the seniors."

Pearce revealed he had spoken to Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate about Wheater, who will face a busy few days as Boro face Chelsea in Saturday's early game.

"If I ask a player whether he wants to travel or go back to his club, he would want to be on that jet," added Pearce. "They want to be part of the seniors. That is why they work so hard.

"We will try to take care of him the best we can."

Capello said he would decide his starting line-up for the Belarus tie after their final training session.

"It is disappointing to lose two very experienced players in John Terry and Ashley Cole for the game in Belarus," said Capello.

Goalkeeper Robert Green is also out because of a knee injury.

Rio Ferdinand stood in as captain in Saturday's 5-1 win over Kazakhstan, a match that saw Cole targeted by home fans after a mistake that led to the visitors' goal.

Cole strained his right hamstring in that victory and a scan on Sunday revealed he will not be fit enough for the match against Belarus

Terry resumed running and some light gym work on Sunday but did not train on Monday, while Green's withdrawal leaves England with two goalkeepers, David James and Scott Carson.

Everton's Joleon Lescott is another option for Capello in defence, with Gareth Barry, who started as the holding midfielder against Kazakhstan, another possibility at left-back.

Bridge's last competitive appearance for England was the 3-2 home defeat to Croatia last November that denied Steve McClaren's side a place at Euro 2008.

He plays second fiddle to Cole as Chelsea's preferred left-back, and has had just seven minutes of Premier League action as a substitute against Wigan this season, although he has started matches against Portsmouth in the Carling Cup and CFR Cluj in the Champions League.

The England manager will also consider whether to retain Barry in the holding midfield role after a disjointed first-half team display against Kazakhstan at Wembley.

Barry was replaced by Shaun Wright-Phillips after a goalless first period, with England reverting to a 4-4-2 formation, and they looked more dangerous after the break, even if the change left them more vulnerable to the counter-attack.