England midfielder Owen Hargreaves insists England can approach the World Cup last four with confidence, because they have the best midfielders in the world.

"When you look at our squad I don't think we could have any better midfield players in the world. We've got an incredible array of talent.”said the Bayern Munich player.

Hargreaves believes Sven-Goran Eriksson has a lot of talents in the center of the park at his disposal which would be the envy of any country.

He said: "On the right wing, there is Becks (David Beckham) who can whip the ball in from anywhere while Joe Cole on the other flank is incredible in one-on-one situations, dribbling and getting in the box."

The Bayern Munich player believes Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are two of the most gifted midfielders in the world while Michael Carrick is one of the best passers in football.

Hargreaves is expected to reclaim the holding role for Saturday's quarter-final with Portugal but he knows Eriksson has so many different midfield options to call upon.

"If you look even at the bench, you've got Stewart Downing, a great left-sided player, and Aaron Lennon who has been displaying incredible pace." he said.

He admits the players are optimistic of living up to the expectations of the nation during the next 11 days as England look to win the trophy for the first time in 40 years.

"We expect big things from ourselves. When you look at the players we have, the expectation is there not just to be at the World Cup but to win the World Cup." Hargreaves said.

"We are three games from winning the World Cup and, when you think of it in that sense, we are very close. Now it's tiny little details will win these games." he added.