Crouch will take his big chance

Crouch is expected to start in place of the suspended Wayne Rooney when England face Austria this afternoon and the Liverpool striker is determined to do all he can to ensure he remains part of the England set-up.

Crouch said: "I think people are starting to take me seriously now. When I first started out, I was a unique player. Maybe people thought they just had to bang the ball up to me or whatever but now people are starting to realise what I can do. The more I've played, the more people have taken me seriously.
 
"Now I've started to play for England and at a great club like Liverpool, hopefully people can see that I can play on the floor as well."