England winger Joe Cole looks set to be dropped to accommodate the return of Michael Owen, despite scoring the winner against Wales at the weekend.
Newcastle forward Owen was suspended for Saturday's 1-0 win in Cardiff but looks likely to earn an instant recall for the game against Northern Ireland.
Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson is set to stick with his new 4-5-1 formation.
Striker Wayne Rooney is expected to occupy Cole's role on the left side for the game in Belfast.
Owen has not played a competitive game since May, but will be hoping to add to his tally of 32 goals from 71 caps in Belfast.
But Eriksson said: "If Michael is 100% fit then it's no question he will play, if he performs as he's done in the four years since I came to this job.
"What's going to happen on Wednesday, let's wait until Wednesday."
Eriksson had admitted that it would be a tough choice on who to leave out of his team if he recalled Owen.
"It's always a difficult decision to take players out, especially when you won the last game, but that's my job," he said.
Eriksson admitted England could play better than they had in Wales, where Rooney operated as a lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation.
England captain David Beckham has hit back at Terry Butcher and Alan Hansen after criticism of his recent form.
Beckham said: "I do find it a little bit sad that people drop to that level sometimes to criticise players.
"I'd just rather he (Butcher) said what he felt to my face personally, but that's the way it is these days."
Butcher said Beckham no longer had the stamina needed at the top level, while Hansen said "the English love affair with Beckham is coming to an end".
Beckham said: "It is sad but everyone has their opinion and I respect Terry Butcher as a footballer and an England captain.
"I've always been proud to be England captain. I respect him as a player but I do find it a bit sad that the criticism does come like that.
"If I bumped into him, I'd probably shake his hand. He has got his right to his opinion and there is no point in me questioning him about it because he has put it in a double-page spread in a paper.
"I'm glad (Hansen) is not England manager as I wouldn't be in the team.
"I respect Alan Hansen and what he has won in his career, but again it's his opinion."
On Monday, Hansen wrote in his newspaper column: "Never in a million years is David Beckham going to evolve into a holding midfielder."
In a Sunday newspaper story headlined "Becks is a liability, his legs have gone", Butcher said Beckham lacked the pace and energy for wide midfield and was "completely vulnerable" in the centre where he played in Saturday's 1-0 win over Wales.
Beckham and Butcher argued in the media a year ago after England's 2-2 World Cup qualifying draw in Austria.
After his previous bust-up with Beckham, Butcher was unrepentant.
He said: "I'm not here to sit on the fence and simply accept what I see.
"I've got an opinion the same as anybody else, and if you can't take criticism then you shouldn't be in the business.
"If the England players think the criticism they have had has been bad, they should have been with us at successive World Cups in 1986 and 1990 when we got hammered by the media - and reached the last eight and the semi-final."
Beckham insisted that he would use the comments to boost the England team ahead of Wednesday's World Cup qualifier with Northern Ireland.
He said: "If you do get criticised, it sometimes spurs you on because it gives you that kick you need and inspiration to perform to a higher level.
"It spurs you on as a team and as a player. It spurred us on Saturday the way the national anthem was booed by the Welsh supporters."
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Lawrie Sanchez will field an unchanged team for the first time as Northern Ireland boss for Wednesday night's World Cup qualifier against England.
NI secured their first competitive win under Sanchez against Azerbaijan on Saturday and the same players have been rewarded for their efforts.
"They did well. Anybody would have been disappointed to be left out after their performance on Saturday," said Sanchez.
"They are all up for it again and all ready to perform at the same level."
Sanchez was able to name the same 4-4-2 formation when David Healy came through a fitness test on a slight thigh strain.
The province's record goalscorer was taken off late in the game against Azerbaijan, but trained with the rest of the squad on Monday and Tuesday.
Sanchez hopes that the players can respond to what is the biggest game in their World Cup qualifying campaign.
"This is the one," said Sanchez. "The game at Old Trafford was also massive, but this is the one the players and everybody associated with the team wants to be involved in.
"The expectations and anticipation in the build-up to the game has been great.
"We are not far away from the game. Now we can get down to the business of putting what we have done in training this week can towards getting very memorable result."
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Harry Redknapp has reiterated that he will remain as Southampton manager next season, despite the club's relegation.
Redknapp took over at St Mary's in December but was unable to save the club from the drop and then he admitted he was unsure about his future.
But after holding talks with chairman Rupert Lowe, he told the Sunday People: "I have reached an agreement.
"I am delighted to announce that I am staying on. I am determined to lead us back to the Premiership."
Redknapp added: "I have only been here a short time but this club has become very close to my heart."
The former Pompey boss wanted to know how many players would be sold as a consequence of relegation - and he was particularly concerned over the future of striker Peter Crouch.
"I have been given an assurance that Peter is staying, which is essential because he is important to what we are hoping to achieve," added Redknap.
He was given time to consider his future by Lowe after the club's relegation from the Premiership.
"I sat down with the chairman and went through the squad looking at next season," he said.
"What is important is that we try to keep hold of our best players.
"You've got to keep them and give us a chance of getting up, all I wanted was confirmation of that from the chairman that we will look to keep the best players here and add one or two free transfers or whatever we can find."
There will almost certainly be changes to the Southampton squad for next season, with Redknapp already critical of the number of players at the club.
Loan signings Henri Camara and Calum Davenport are set to return to Wolves and Tottenham respectively, while free transfer arrival Olivier Bernard is on a short-term contract and is unlikely to remain.
Former England player Graeme Le Saux is believed to have decided to retire and Anders Svensson, Darren Kenton, Jo Tessem, Jamie Redknapp, Brett Ormerod and Jason Dodd are all likely to be released.
Furthermore, the likes of goalkeeper Antti Niemi, Kevin Phillips, Nigel Quashie and new England call-up Crouch are all bound to attract interest from Premiership clubs.
Redknapp is determined to keep both Niemi and Phillips at St Mary's.
He added: "Phillips is a terrific player, I'm sure there'll be interest in him but you want to keep him if you can.
"Niemi is an outstanding goalkeeper but, if you can, you've got to keep your better players.
"If someone comes in with an incredible offer it's different because you can use the money to strengthen other areas but you can't sell them and not replace them.
"We'll be looking at a couple of players, if we can bring in a few free transfers with character then we'll be good enough to have a real go."
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England winger Joe Cole looks set to be dropped to accommodate the return of Michael Owen, despite scoring the winner against Wales at the weekend.
Newcastle forward Owen was suspended for Saturday's 1-0 win in Cardiff but looks likely to earn an instant recall for the game against Northern Ireland.
Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson is set to stick with his new 4-5-1 formation.
Striker Wayne Rooney is expected to occupy Cole's role on the left side for the game in Belfast.
Owen has not played a competitive game since May, but will be hoping to add to his tally of 32 goals from 71 caps in Belfast.
But Eriksson said: "If Michael is 100% fit then it's no question he will play, if he performs as he's done in the four years since I came to this job.
"What's going to happen on Wednesday, let's wait until Wednesday."
Eriksson had admitted that it would be a tough choice on who to leave out of his team if he recalled Owen.
"It's always a difficult decision to take players out, especially when you won the last game, but that's my job," he said.
Eriksson admitted England could play better than they had in Wales, where Rooney operated as a lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation.
