Lampard has not forgotten the night Croatia beat the Three Lions.
England’s 4-1 win over Montenegro on Friday leaves the nation on the cusp of World Cup qualification, with victory against Poland on Tuesday guaranteeing it.
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has been ever-present in the side for a decade and admits that the loss to Croatia at Wembley in 2007 still haunts the 35-year-old.
Euro 2008 was the last major tournament the Three Lions failed to qualify for, with a 2-3 loss at home to the Croatians costing the English a place.
Lampard also played on that night and has not forgotten the crushing disappointment that comes with missing out on big competitions.
“I try not to think about that night too much,” the Englishman was quoted by ITV.
“You remember the bad nights as much as the good ones.”
Luckily for the side this time around qualification is in their own hands, with a win over the Polish all that is needed to book a place in Brazil.
The visitors have nothing to play for but pride after seeing their own qualification hopes fade when losing 1-0 to Ukraine on Friday.
The Ukrainians are just a single point behind England though and have a routine match against minnows San Marino – meaning anything other than victory will probably cost the hosts top spot.
The Poles have some talented players such as Borussia Dortmund ace Robert Lewandowski, but the home team should be able to beat them at Wembley.
Lampard now has 101 caps for the nation and is likely to be playing in the midfielder’s last international tournament if the country makes it to the World Cup in 2014.
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