Date: 1st June 2013 at 4:00pm
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frank-lampard-england-republic-of-ireland-wembley_2952187Frank Lampard is hoping to emulate his Chelsea team-mate Ashley Cole and become a centurion for England as he closes in on his 100th cap.

The 34-year-old midfielder is due to play his 97th game for the Three Lions against Brazil at the Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro tomorrow and will likely be a part of Roy Hodgson’s plans for the foreseeable future, especially after securing an extension on his Chelsea deal.

If all bodes well then Lampard could earn his 100th cap when England travel to Ukraine in September for their World Cup qualifier, he’ll become the eighth player to reach a ton for the Three Lions.

When asked if he was eyeing 100 caps, he replied:

“You can’t not think about it.

“I am on 96, I have been around for an awful long time.

“I saw Stevie (Steven Gerrard) get that gold cap, which was well deserved, and then Ash last night.

“If I can get there and can stay involved in future games then I would be a very proud man if I did reach that.

“Ash certainly deserves the accolades. To get 100 caps, to start every game and to play at the quality and level he has played for such a long period of time, he deserves everything.

“I think the fans gave him the very right reception, he deserved the moment and the atmosphere was brilliant.”

(Independent)

There hasn’t been a lot for England to smile about as they trail Montenegro in World Cup qualifying Group H and have a number of tricky ties to negotiate against the likes of Ukraine and Poland, but they will play Montenegro at home in the penultimate match of the group stage. Lampard’s optimism is one of the rare shining lights for the national side at the moment and he’s hoping that a good result against Brazil on Sunday will help breed confidence in the side ahead of the crucial challenges that lie before them.

Lampard believes that Brazil will be up for it at the Maracanã:

“I know the Brazilian boys at Chelsea weren’t happy coming here and losing. They are certainly going to want to beat us.

“If we can go there and get a result that would be fantastic for the lads’ spirit and confidence going into the qualifiers

“We are trying to keep improving and it is good not to lose a game. We are trying to work on the team and work on our attacking play.

“There are things we can take away from last night that we are pleased with and things that we can tighten up on.

“We have a big game on Sunday, then a well-deserved break and then our minds will be on the qualifiers that are coming up.”

Lampard recently scored his 29th England goal against the Republic of Ireland and will join the likes of Nat Lofthouse, Alan Shearer and Tom Finney as the sixth highest scorers of all-time if he can find the net against the Brazilians. Lampard scored the winning goal in a 2-1 win when the two sides last met at Wembley Stadium in February.

Source: The Independent

 

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