Rio Ferdinand backs 'experienced' England team to win World Cup

Ahead of the make-or-break World Cup showdown against Algeria tonight, injured England captain Rio Ferdinand has backed the Three Lions’ to capture football’s ultimate treasure.

“We still have a great chance of winning the World Cup. No team can claim to be the outright favourites. There is no one who scares us. I’m sure we’ll beat Algeria,” The Sun quoted Ferdinand, as saying.

“I’ve played with these players for years and know how good they are. The likes of Lamps, Stevie and Wazza all know what it’s about and they are desperate to do well for England,” he added.

The 31-year-old acknowledges that England failed to gain momentum during its opening Group C game against USA, but he is optimistic that the 1-1 result would not prove to be too bad.

“Everyone is into the tournament and we can maybe relax and play the way we know we can,” he added.

Ferdinand’s dreams of leading his team to World Cup glory were wrecked by a knee injury.

He damaged the cruciate ligament in his left knee during England’s first training session in Rustenburg earlier this month.

The defender is currently working on his rehabilitation, which is likely to sideline him for eight weeks.