Frankfurt: England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson named a full-strength team, minus Wayne Rooney, for the Group B opener against Paraguay on Saturday.
Midfielder Steven Gerrard, who had been rated 50-50 for the match with a hip injury, was declared fit enough to take his place in England's four-man midfield.
With the recovering Rooney expected to play only in the latter stages of the tournament, the towering Peter Crouch lined up alongside Michael Owen in attack.
Paraguay coach Anibal Ruiz gambled on Roque Santa Cruz in attack, despite the Bayern Munich striker missing most of the season following knee surgery.
He will partner Nelson Valdez in a preferred 4-4-2 system. Paraguay's all-time leading scorer Jose Cardozo was ruled out of the tournament on Tuesday with a leg injury.
England and Paraguay have met only once before in the World Cup, England winning 3-0 in 1986.
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