Jamie Carragher looks set to face Hungary tonight as a holding midfielder, with Steven Gerrard pushed forward in support of Michael Owen.

Sven-Goran Eriksson has pledged to play the team that will start against Paraguay in the opening game of the World Cup when England face the Hungarians at Old Trafford, and it now seems that Carragher is part of his first-choice line-up.

Carragher has been preferred to both Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves as the deep-lying midfielder, with Eriksson opting for a no-nonsense player. Former Reds boss Roy Evans is sure Carragher will respond to the challenge in typical fashion.

"There's no-one deserves the chance more than Carra. Over the years he's developed not only into a great player, but a great leader".

"I think using him in midfield is an excellent idea. He'll be perfect there. It's something many of us have thought would be the answer for some time at international level."

The Swede's lack of fit strikers means that only Owen and Peter Crouch are experienced front men, and Crouch is quite rightly seen as a better option for the bench.

That leaves Gerrard as the obvious choice to play in a role he has often occupied for Liverpool, with Carragher taking his berth in midfield.