Luke Young Called Up for England's Euro 2008 Qualifiers With Israel and Andorra

Charlton defender Luke Young has been called up for England's squad for the upcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers with Israel and Andorra.

The full-back, who has won seven caps, joins the squad after Manchester City's Micah Richards underwent tests on a calf injury yesterday. Young's last appearance for England came in their 3-2 win over Argentina in Geneva in November 2005.

Meanwhile, Bolton's Israel midfielder Idan Tal has warned England they cannot afford to lose Saturday's match in Tel Aviv. "I would go as far as to say that the team who loses this match will have no chance of qualifying for Euro 2008," said Tal. "England will be in good shape for the game, because it is a must-win game for them. They cannot afford to lose."

Tal has also warned England to expect a hostile reception when they run out at the Ramat Gan Stadium. "England will find the atmosphere at the stadium intimidating and it is how they prepare for this that will be critical," he said. "Many of the top teams around the world have found it difficult to get a result at Ramat Gan and that will be a factor on Saturday.

"Believe me, when the game starts, the Israeli fans will create an atmosphere that will be up there with any major event around the world. The Israeli public love their football and the country has been waiting since the end of the World Cup for this fixture. There will be 50,000 screaming fans in the stadium from about two to three hours before kick-off building the atmosphere and trying to make it as passionate as possible."

Tal believes England are favourites to win the match but insists his side can spring a surprise. "England have quality in every position and we will have to play above our potential to get a result," he added. "We are wary of all their players and only a monumental effort from our players will be good enough to win. I have to be honest and say that England are a much better team than us and we know that. However, we have risen to these heights before and the coach [Dror Kashtan] will get the boys fired up to try and make it difficult for England to play a fluid game."