Subduing Bale will not be only task for Capello’s men, insists Defoe

Bale played his first full game for Spurs against West Ham last weekend since suffering a back injury in January.

The 21-year-old’s availability to face England in Cardiff is a major lift for manager Gary Speed in his first competitive international in charge of the national team.

Bale, who had a six-week spell on the sidelines, said: “I had my first 90 minutes on Saturday and was a bit stiff after the game and the next day.

“But I have recovered well and am just getting prepared for the weekend now.”

Jermain Defoe knows Tottenham team-mate Bale will pose a threat to England. But Defoe insisted yesterday that subduing the flying winger would not be enough on its own for England to return from Cardiff with three Group G points.

“They’ve got good players, not just Gareth,” said Defoe.

“They’ve got Craig Bellamy, obviously – a great player. It’s going to be a tough game.”

Striker Defoe is not expecting a typical international contest. He said: “Maybe it’ll be like a Premier League game. It’ll be high tempo, I would imagine.”

Defoe has three days to convince manager Capello that he, and not Andy Carroll, should start alongside Wayne Rooney this weekend.

Carroll is the bookmakers’ favourite but Defoe insisted Capello had yet to reveal his starting line-up.

“I don’t know – you’re going to have to ask the manager that,” the 29-year-old said when asked who he thought would begin the game.

Defoe looked to have established himself as Rooney’s partner after scoring a hat-trick in September’s thrashing of Bulgaria.

But serious injury struck against Switzerland days later and he appears to have fallen back down the pecking order during his absence.

“You’ve got to just keep working hard,” he said. “I’ve always said when you work hard, you get lucky. I’ve had a stop-start season.”

Defoe, who has scored only two Barclays Premier League goals during his injury-hit campaign, added: “I’ve got to the stage in my career now where I’m more mature and I think about the team.

“If that means I work hard in games and play well but don’t score then so be it.”