Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard admits there's new confidence running through Fabio Capello's England camp.

He told The Sun: "In terms of England, I've never experienced a time when I have gone into matches feeling as confident as I do now.

"The contrast with before is stark. Before, we felt we would probably lose or drop points and it gives you a really good sensation going into the season to feel so optimistic about the challenges ahead with club and country."

A week tomorrow, Lampard is with England in Holland, who have already qualified for South Africa 2010.

He said: "Going into tournaments, if you are going to do well then you have to play the likes of Holland, Spain and France. It has helped us in qualification games to have the right mentality, having played the big teams in warm-ups before."