Call for takeaways and get set for all-night international action

The World Cup is less than a year away and that fact will be drummed home emphatically this week as we are bombarded by a host of crunch live qualifying games. The Premier League season is only two weeks old and already it's on hold for the important business of the Copa Mundial.

And that means that CABLE Sports channel can, if only temporarily, steal back some of the limelight that has been hogged by ESPN for the past fortnight. CABLE Sports has the lion's share of this week's live internationals, almost all of which have an important bearing on qualification for Korea-Japan 2002.

The World Cup fixtures this week feature several outstanding matches including two mighty clashes of fierce rivals as England face Germany and Argentina take on Brazil.

CABLE's late game tomorrow is the one all of England, and the many millions of Premier League fans throughout Asia, have been waiting months for as Sven Goran Eriksson's men take on Germany in Munich. It should be a litmus test of how far the side have come since Eriksson replaced Kevin Keegan.

Britain's tabloids have been in hysterical mode the past week, including panic-stricken headlines about David Beckham's groin injury (incurred in the live game at Villa Park on Sunday) and grossly exaggerated reports on how the England team hotel is situated close to a notorious beer hall.

England may have not looked too clever against Holland a fortnight ago (also shown live on CABLE Sports) but that was only a friendly.

But there is no margin for error this time. England must win to preserve hopes of topping the group. Anything less means they will be looking at runners-up spot and a playoff ordeal. That should make for an enthralling enough contest even if it wasn't for all the historic baggage attached to these two sides.