England successfully qualified for the 2014 Brazil World Cup finishing top in their group and in the upcoming week they face their first set of friendlies in preparation for the World Cup. The opponents are Chile and rivals Germany which they will face on Friday and the following Tuesday.

This past month has been an exciting one in the Premier League which has seen some incredible football including some excellent performances and many shocks. Arsenal find themselves top of the league after 11 games with 25 points with the top four consisting of Liverpool, Southampton and Chelsea. After a poor start to the season, it appears as if David Moyes' Manchester United have finally found their feet whilst struggling Sunderland, who have spent most of the season in the wrong part of the table, having recorded back-to-back victories, including a famous one in a 1-0 win over a Manchester City side who had previously smashed Norwich seven goals to nil.

Southampton are this season's surprise package and after an almost perfect start to the season, they are third in the Premier League and only three points behind leaders Arsenal. Their form hasn't gone unnoticed, especially by England manager, Roy Hodgson, who has named three Southampton players in the Three Lions squad, Rickie Lambert and two new faces in Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez.

The benefit of the upcoming friendlies is that it will give the chance for new faces to take their opportunity to shine and to announce to the nation what they can offer to the England team. Chile will not be easy opponents. They are currently 12th in the FIFA world rankings, only two places below England and are well known for their flair and speed on the pitch. Their main threat is the combination of Barcelona star Alexis Sanchez and Juventus maestro Arturo Vidal. The duo are dangerous together and have a lot of experience for Chile with a combined total of 114 appearances and 28 goals.

Apart from Fraser Forster, everyone who has been called up to England plays in the Premier League however, there is only one for Chile who plays in the Premier League and that is Cardiff defensive midfielder Gary Medel.

As previously said, the friendly against Chile will be the perfect opportunity for the fresher faces in the squad to play for their national team as a reward for being called up. For this I feel Hodgson should field a team similar to this against the Chileans.

GK) Fraser Forster
RB) Phil Jones
CB) Chris Smalling
CB) Gary Cahill
LB) Kieran Gibbs
RM) Andros Townsend
CM) Jack Wilshere
CM) Ross Barkley
LM) Adam Lallana
ST) Daniel Sturridge
ST) Jay Rodriguez

Celtic's Fraser Forster has been superb in the SPL for the Scottish champions and has replicated this for them in the Champions League. He is yet to earn a cap for England and this is the perfect chance for him to do so. Norwich 'keeper John Ruddy conceded seven goals against Manchester City a few weeks ago and in comparison to Forster, he doesn't deserve to start. Arsenal left-back Kieran Gibbs has been perfect for the Gunners this season with consistent and solid performances and it would be good to see him add another cap to the two he already has. Southampton duo Lallana and Rodriguez were excellent for the Saints this season and it would be interesting into how the two can perform at the highest level.

The friendly against Germany is one England should take seriously as it against one of the best international teams in the world and everyone in England loves to beat the Germans. I feel that the team Hodgson should be stronger as the previous as if we were going to face them in a major competition.

GK) Joe Hart
RB) Glen Johnson
CB) Gary Cahill
CB) Phil Jagielka
LB) Leighton Baines
RM) Andros Townsend
CM) Steven Gerrard
CM) Jack Wilshere
LM) James Milner
ST) Daniel Sturridge
ST) Wayne Rooney

No matter what people say, Joe Hart is still England's best goalkeeper and he will be vital against Germany. Confidence will also be a major factor in Hart's performance and if he performs to a level he is capable of, Germany will struggle to score past him. The combination of Steven Gerrard and Jack Wilshere is one that has impressed previously for England. It is like watching England's current captain alongside with England's future one. Jack Wilshere hasn't started for Arsenal for a few weeks due to injury however, he is back fully fit and he would love to get one over his Gunner teammates Per Mertesacker, Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski.

Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge are playing the best football of their careers for their clubs and are without a doubt the best strikers England have at their disposal. In previous games together, they have worked well and if Sturridge can perform how he does with Luis Suarez but with Rooney, there could be goals galore for England.

The full England squad for the friendlies against Chile and Germany

Goalkeepers
Joe Hart - Manchester City
John Ruddy - Norwich
Fraser Forster - Celtic
Defenders
Ashley Cole - Chelsea
Glen Johnson - Liverpool
Phil Jagielka - Everton
Leighton Baines - Everton
Gary Cahill - Chelsea
Kyle Walker - Tottenham Hotspur
Phil Jones - Manchester United
Chris Smalling - Manchester United
Kieran Gibbs - Arsenal
Midfielders
Steven Gerrard - Liverpool
Frank Lampard - Chelsea
James Milner - Manchester City
Michael Carrick - Manchester United
Jack Wilshere - Arsenal
Tom Cleverley - Manchester United
Jordan Henderson - Liverpool
Andros Townsend - Tottenham Hotspur
Ross Barkley - Everton
Adam Lallana - Southampton
Strikers
Wayne Rooney - Manchester United
Jermaine Defoe - Tottenham Hotspur
Danny Welbeck - Manchester United
Daniel Sturridge - Liverpool
Rickie Lambert - Southampton
Jay Rodriguez - Southampton