The England 'B' team are due to play Belarus in an international friendly match at the Madejski Stadium, home of Reading FC, on Thursday, May 25, with Arsenal's Aliaksandr Hleb to feature for Belarus.

Even though this is considered to be an England 'B' team encounter, the Three Lions line-up is likely to feature Newcastle United forward Michael Owen who is returning from injury and teenage sensations Theo Walcott from Arsenal and Aaron Lennon from Tottenham Hotspur.

The England boss Sven Goran Eriksson is calling for England fans to turn out in force next Thursday at Reading FC to cheer on England as they face Belarus in this international friendly.

The Royals, who will be hosting the World Cup warm-up match, have qualified to The Premiership in style from the English second-tier of football, The Championship, with a total of 106 points, and have a state of the art stadium in which to host the friendly match.

The Belarus game is the first warm-up match for the 28-man squad since Sven Goran Eriksson announced his World Cup squad on May 8.

England have then arranged to play friendlies against Hungary and Jamaica at Old Trafford the following week before flying out to Germany for their first match of the World Cup, which kick's-off on June 9.

Eriksson told TheFA.com “The World Cup is just weeks away and the excitement is building. This is now a crucial time as we put together the last pieces in our preparation.

“I feel extremely positive about this squad. There is a great blend of youth and experience, with talented individuals in every part of the team, and I remain confident that we are among those teams who can win the competition.

“The B international against Belarus gives me a chance to look at players like Theo Walcott and Aaron Lennon who are new to the squad, and players like Michael Owen who are coming back from injury.

“It's also an incredible opportunity for local fans to see the national team in action. Reading has been a happy home for the England Under-21s in recent years and hopefully we can keep that winning streak going. It's been a fanastic season for the club and now international football comes to the Madejski Stadium.

“A full house with a classic English atmosphere will provide a huge lift to the players, and strong performances in our three friendlies will see us head to Germany on a high. You the fans can do your bit by filling the stadium and cheering us on.”

Tickets have been sold-out for the game, which is the first warm-up match for the squad of 28-players since Sven announced his 23-man World Cup squad on May 8.

England have also arranged to play both Hungary and Jamaica at Old Trafford the following week before flying out to Germany for the World Cup kick-off.

England have never played Belarus at senior level before, but one player will be coming up against familiar opponents this time around as Arsenal's Aliaksandr Hleb, who has been called up by the Belarus coach for the game.

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