Terry & Cole out of Belarus match
England will be without John Terry and Ashley Cole for Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Belarus.
The England captain has failed to recover from a back injury, while his Chelsea team-mate Cole has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.
"It is disappointing to lose two very experienced players in John Terry and Ashley Cole for the game in Belarus," said England manager Fabio 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 and will not join the rest of the squad as they fly out to Minsk on Tuesday morning.
Green's withdrawal leaves England with two goalkeepers, David James and Scott Carson.
In defence, Capello must decide whether Matthew Upson, who gave a less-than-convincing performance on Saturday, will remain alongside Ferdinand at centre-back, while Cole is likely to be replaced by Wayne Bridge at left-back.
Everton's Joleon Lescott is another option for Capello in either position, 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.
"I have time to decide whether to play a holding midfielder in Belarus," said Capello.
Victory in Minsk would create history for England by opening a World Cup campaign with four straight wins, but Capello has warned his team against complacency and expects a tough test.
"They are not conservative at all," he said.
"They move all over, like Arsenal, and pass the ball a lot. Belarus are a very dangerous side and this game will not be easy."
England midfielder Steven Gerrard admitted that the loss of Terry and Cole was a huge blow for the side, but is confident the squad has enough decent players to cope.
"They a're two big players, and we are stronger with them in the team," said Gerrard.
"But we are a squad and we have got good replacements, and I am sure whoever comes in will do a good job."
England squad:
David James, Wes Brown, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, Matthew Upson, Theo Walcott, David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney, Jermain Defoe, Gareth Barry, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Scott Carson, Glen Johnson, Wayne Bridge, Peter Crouch.
