England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson hinted that Michael Owen could start in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland in Belfast on Wednesday.

Owen is available after a ban, but Newcastle's new 17 million-pound striker is yet to play a competitive game this season.

"If Michael is 100% fit then it's no question he will play, if he performs as he's done in the four years since I came to this job," Eriksson was quoted as saying by SKY.

"What's going to happen on Wednesday, let's wait until Wednesday." Eriksson admitted that it would be difficult making a decision on who to leave out of his team if he recalled Owen.

"It's always a difficult decision to take players out, especially when you won the last game, but that's my job," he said.

Eriksson admitted England could play better than they had in Wales, where Wayne Rooney operated as a lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation.

He is set to revert to a 4-4-2 to accommodate Owen against Wales, but would not would reveal his plans.

"I know the best formation, maybe the best formation we played was the diamond, or 4-4-2, but to play the diamond you need three central midfielders to be fit," he said.

"Frank Lampard is not playing as well as he did last season. That is a little bit why we used the system (against Wales).

"I will not gamble. Normally the players will know how to play, last week they knew it from Wednesday, this time they will know if from this afternoon."

Owen, 25, is expected to be recalled in place of Shaun Wright-Phillips or Joe Cole for the Windsor Park game.

"I'm confident of my position in the team and my value to it on recent and past performances," he said.

"I don't think I'd be especially thankful if the manager played me. I don't think I owe anyone any favours."

But he says he is not bothered who makes way for him.

"The manager chooses the best 11 players. If I'm in that, I'm not going to sit around and think who might not be playing or should be playing," the former Liverpool marksman insisted.

Owen has not played a competitive game since May and will hope to add to his tally of 32 goals from 71 caps in Belfast.

Source: Xinhua