Luis Figo in training ahead of Portugal's clash with England at Villa Park (ShaunBotterill/GettyImages)

As England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson offered a thinly-veiled attack on Sir Alex Ferguson following the exclusion of Paul Scholes from the squad to face Portugal tomorrow, Figo declared himself ready to start for the visitors after shrugging off a long-standing ankle problem.

Ironically, it was injuries picked up while playing for Real Madrid which were blamed for the 29-year-old's dismal performances during the World Cup when Portugal, many experts' dark horses for the tournament, were humiliatingly dumped out in the opening round after defeats to the United States and South Korea.

Yet the thought on missing out on a friendly fixture for his country never crossed Figo's mind, even though he has been forced to train on his own for most of the week because he was unable to take part in full sessions.

'It would only become a problem if Portugal and Real Madrid played on the same day,' said the former World Player of the Year.

'If we can get the fixture calendar sorted out it should never be an issue.

'I know Beckham and Scholes are not playing tomorrow but that is a problem for England not me.'

Figo's standing in the game has taken a huge knock in recent months. A poor performance in the Champions League final win over Bayer Leverkusen at Hampden Park in May was followed by a series of ineffective displays in the Far East which led to the final embarrassing exit at the hands of the hosts.

And he readily admits victory tomorrow will come nowhere near to erasing those sad memories.

'It doesn't really matter what we do because this game is a preparation for the European Championships in our own country when we must perform,' he said.

'We have to try and learn from the World Cup because it was such a desperate disappointment. When I came home I didn't watch any of the matches, I just wanted to get away from it.'

Under new coach Agostinho de Oliveira, the visitors will field some familiar faces, if an unfamiliar system given the boss' desire to experiment with a three-man defensive system, including skipper Fernando Couto.

Portugal are without Deportivo defender Jorge Andrade, who has an ankle injury and Joao Pinto, still serving a suspension imposed for an over-the-top reaction to his dismissal against the Koreans in June.

Nuno Gomes is also struggling with an ankle injury, while there could be some Premiership talent on show after the interval when Newcastle's Hugo Viana and Fulham front-man Luis Boa Morte are introduced.

After a decade of being tipped to win major honours, Portugal know Euro 2004 represents their best chance of erasing their reputation as chronic underachievers.

'We are aware of the expectation surrounding the team and what people will think of us if we don't do well in two years' time,' said Couto, who played under Eriksson at Lazio.

'As a squad we have achieved a lot. We have reached two European Championship and a World Cup, which is as much as our country has done in its history before now.