Will Baines spoil the party?

Chelsea's Ashley Cole is on the verge of winning his 100th cap for England.

It's a great achievement for the left back, but is he guaranteed to reach the milestone in a friendly against Brazil on Wednesday night?

Everton's Leighton Baines is widely thought of as the best left back in the Premier League today, not just by Evertonians, but football pundits across Europe.

You'll never hear the 27-year-old suggest such a thing though, he still claims that he is merely the back-up for Cole and is even under threat from losing his place in Roy Hodgson's England squad to upcoming stars such as Chelsea's Ryan Bertrand, Arsenal's Kieran Gibbs and Southampton's Luke Shaw.

"I`m doing what I can my end to get into the England team, but the decision isn`t mine. It`s with the manager. Baines told The Echo.

He added: "Myself and Ash are regulars in the squad, but there`s also Ryan Bertrand, Kieran Gibbs has had a great season and Luke Shaw at Southampton is going to be a fine player in the future.

"The good thing for England is that there are a number of options. If it`s ever been a problem in the past with there being only one strong option, I don`t think that`s the case anymore."

Who will get the nod from Hodgson? Probably Cole due to it being a prestigious friendly and a big occasion for Cole, but under normal circumstances I think Baines has nudged ahead of Cole in the pecking order.


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