England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, flirting with a 4-5-1 formation, has yet to inform Michael Owen whether he will start against Northern Ireland in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier.

Owen on Monday dismissed the fuss over England's new formation ahead of the match against Northern Ireland, insisting it is fairly similar to the style that they usually play.

That World Cup qualifier saw a much-discussed 4-5-1 formation with David Beckham playing in a deeper role, but Owen insists that it is only slightly different.

"There's not a whole lot of difference to what we normally play," insisted Owen.

"We normally play with Wayne Rooney dropping off me, but in this (formation), that player drops behind the midfield.

"Yeah, it's a change of formation but it's not as drastic as a lot people are making out.

"I don't think it's a wholesale change and I wouldn't say I can't play in that formation.

"I have never played like this for the national side but I have played it a couple of times with Liverpool and I don't see it as that different from what we normally see."

Owen admits that it was hard watching the last game from the bench after two yellow cards in prior qualifier ruled him out.

"Yeah, it was frustrating," said Owen. "It was when the national anthems played that it really hit home.

"The atmosphere was electric and it was a good occasion.

"I've got a lot of happy memories from playing at Cardiff and I just kept reliving the two bookings I got."

Owen is not certain that he will play, and admits he will be keeping an eye on the newspapers after they correctly predicted the last line up.

"We might find out tomorrow in training," added Owen. "But, as of now, I don't know if I am playing.

"I will try to read a couple of papers!"

Source: Xinhua