England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson is putting his faith in an England side peppered with reserves when their 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign opens in Austria on Saturday.

The game at the Ernst Happel stadium is the start of a double-header, which takes England to Chorzow, Poland next Wednesday as they bid to rack up two quick wins in Group Six.

Top of the list of absentees is teenage striker Wayne Rooney, who has just completed a 27 million pound ($48.40 million) move from Everton to Manchester United despite still being sidelined after breaking a bone in his foot at Euro 2004.

The 18-year-old's four goals propelled England to the quarter-finals, while his injury during their defeat by Portugal was probably the biggest reason for their exit.

Rooney's place alongside Michael Owen up front should go to Alan Smith, who is blossoming in his debut season at Manchester United, scoring five goals in his first seven games.

Eriksson also has problems in midfield, where the retirement of Smith's club teammate Paul Scholes from international football has deprived Eriksson of his most inspired playmaker.

Nicky Butt, expected to return to the base of a midfield diamond after missing out at Euro 2004, is unavailable for Saturday, while Steven Gerrard pulled up in Thursday's training session with an apparently minor groin problem.

If he shrugs off the setback, Gerrard will partner Frank Lampard in central midfield, with skipper David Beckham on the right and a vacant slot on the left that could well go to Joe Cole ahead of Wayne Bridge or Kieron Dyer.

MISSING TRIO

A scare over Gerrard was the last thing Eriksson needed before flying to Austria as he is already missing three central defenders -- Sol Campbell, Jonathan Woodgate and Rio Ferdinand -- through either injury or suspension.

John Terry and youngster Ledley King, who impressed in England's 2-1 defeat by France at Euro 2004, should cope with the frontal assault, flanked by Ashley Cole and Gary Neville.

Judging by Austria's 3-1 defeat to a modest Germany side in Vienna last month, that assault should not give Terry and King nightmares.

Ranked 90th in the world when fully fit, Austria will be missing two first-choice midfielders in Martin Amerhauser, who scored against Germany, and Markus Schopp.

Striker Eduard Glieder will be the one to watch up front, with Eriksson's men needing to be more attentive to dead-ball situations than they were at Euro 2004.

On paper, England clearly have the strength in depth to see off an Austria side whose aim over the next year is more realistically to try and beat Wales to the runners-up slot, thereby booking themselves into the playoffs.

Probable teams

Austria: Thomas Mandl; Joachim Standfest, Martin Stranzl, Martin Hiden, Emanuel Pogatetz; Gernot Sick, Dietmar Kuehbauer, Rene Aufhauser, Andreas Ivanschitz; Eduard Glieder, Roland Kollmann