David Beckham is to be named in Fabio Capello’s preliminary England squad of 30 today and is poised to win his 100th cap against France in Paris next week.

Barring an eleventh-hour change of heart by the England manager, Beckham will be given some part to play in the friendly international on Wednesday. Capello is unlikely to insist that Beckham flies across the Atlantic in the week that the Major League Soccer season starts only to leave him kicking his heels on the sidelines for 90 minutes.

Although Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal are playing on Sunday, Capello will press ahead with naming his 23-man squad on Saturday evening, having issued his initial list - believed to include Beckham - today. It will mean that Capello has been convinced of Beckham’s fitness by his assistant, Franco Baldini, who travelled to Dallas on a scouting mission last week.

Beckham’s camp has become increasingly optimistic in the wake of that visit and, although it was claimed that Baldini and Beckham did not speak, Ruud Gullit, the Los Angeles Galaxy coach, gave a report endorsing Beckham’s fitness and form and it is understood that this was subsequently followed up. It is the continued interest in Beckham’s development that has given the former captain cause for hope.

There has been no guarantee of a place in the starting line-up if selected for the squad, but there would certainly be greater worth in presenting Beckham with a true test of his fitness against France than playing him in an end-of-season ceremonial affair, such as the proposed visit to Trinidad and Tobago in June.

Steve McClaren, Capello’s predecessor, brought Beckham back for his first competitive game against inferior opposition, Estonia, and found it no indication of how he would fare against stronger teams. Capello would surely rather judge him against France now than against the United States at Wembley in May, even if it was only for part of the match.

The other issue continues to be the captaincy and it appears that Steven Gerrard will not be given a second chance to lead England under Capello in Paris; indeed, he may not get a second chance at all. The Italian will continue conducting his audition for captain against France, Gerrard having failed to live up to expectations in the role against Switzerland last month. John Terry or Rio Ferdinand are in contention, but Capello will not make a final decision until this weekend’s games are over.

Capello believes that Gerrard struggles to replicate his Liverpool form with England. He thinks Gerrard loses something as a leader in an England shirt and will look elsewhere, with Terry still favourite to regain his role, even if the job goes to Ferdinand against France.

There will be a familiar look about the squad as more of the old guard return. Frank Lampard is certain to be added to the midfield after missing the first squad through injury and Terry will bolster the defence. Michael Owen is expected to keep his place in the 23 after his goal for Newcastle United on Monday, although he remains no more than a potential substitute in Capello’s mind.

If Wayne Rooney is not maintained as England’s target man, Gabriel Agbonlahor, of Aston Villa, could be tried in the role. With Micah Richards injured and Gary Neville yet to play this season, Glen Johnson, of Portsmouth, may start at right back, replacing Wes Brown, who was less than impressive against Switzerland. Theo Walcott, the Arsenal forward, could also feature. He is expected to be named for the first time since his controversial inclusion in Sven-Göran Eriksson’s 23 for the 2006 World Cup finals.

The Czech Republic will play England in a friendly at Wembley Stadium on August 20, according to reports in Prague last night. “We consider a match against such a rival as an important success for the 'diplomacy of football',” Pavel Mokry, the Czech football federation president, said. The game will be the Czech Republic’s first match after the European Championship finals, from June 7 to 29 in Austria and Switzerland, for which England failed to qualify.

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