Jermain Defoe plans to put himself back at the forefront of Fabio Capello's plans when England play Brazil in Doha on Saturday.

The Tottenham Hotspur striker was in a rich vein of form for his country before a broken hand ruled him out of last month's World Cup qualifiers against the Ukraine and Belarus. Peter Crouch took full advantage of his absence, scoring twice against Belarus, but Defoe is determined to remind Capello of what he can do.

"Do I need to re-establish myself? I think so," Defoe said. "Peter Crouch came in the last time and played well, and he is a fantastic player. It was frustrating to miss out through injury and when you get an opportunity, you have got to take it. You have to make an impact.

"I don't want to have the title of "super-sub" but when you don't start it is important you try and make an impression when you come off the bench.

"I haven't started a game for England in 2009 and if the first one was against Brazil it would be special because they are the side that everyone wants to play against."

Defoe added his voice to the debate over diving in football, claiming that the widespread coverage of recent incidents was not good for the game. "It is not something I would do deliberately. People don't want to see it in the game," he added.

"We know as players you shouldn't cheat. It does not look good on television but you have got to realise everyone is trying to win games."

Defoe believes that Tom Huddlestone, his Tottenham team-mate, could yet be part of Capello's World Cup plans after being named in the squad to face Brazil.

"Tom is a fantastic player and he deserves this call-up," Defoe said. "He was in the squad last year against Trinidad and Tobago and did well in training and he is a natural footballer. If he gets the opportunity, he will be ready. He could force his way into contention for the World Cup and he scored a fantastic goal at the weekend but ultimately it is up to the England manager."

He added: "To win against Brazil would be brilliant. It is a good fixture for us and will give us a chance to see how far we have come. Of course, it is a friendly and there are players injured and missing, but it is important to get a winning mentality before the World Cup."