Fabio Capello hoping to avoid Spain & the Netherlands in Euro 2012 draw

Fellow Pot 2 nations Germany, Italy and Russia are the only teams that England will definitely not face in the opening round. Capello told the FA's official website: "I think you need to avoid the first pot, so Spain and Holland. “After that there is also Portugal and France in the third and fourth pot, and these are the teams I would prefer to avoid in the group stage. "I think you need to also be careful with Ukraine and Poland, as they can improve a lot with home advantage, it is possible they could be the surprise of the tournament. "Just like the last tournament, we will play in two countries so you have two host nations. I remember watching some games in 2008 and I saw Switzerland and also Austria, who were very unlucky. They played very well, and you need to be careful with the home teams because the fans can make a big difference.” England could be drawn against the Republic of Ireland after their qualification under Giovanni Trapattoni, but Capello has revealed he would prefer not to face another Italian coach. "The countries are close and also it would be two Italian managers, so I would prefer not to be drawn with them,” he added. “It would be interesting, but I prefer not. We cannot draw Italy as we are in the same pot, but this would be the same for me to face another Italian manager. “I spoke with Giovanni Trapattoni and Marco Tardelli after they got through, they were both really happy. I think it's a real success for Ireland and for this manager, it is a great thing.” The England boss will be hoping for a better showing in the European Championships after a disastrous World Cup in South Africa last year, and while Capello concedes the quality of opposition will be higher, he has backed his team to rise to the occassion. He continued: “It will be stronger because if you look at the groups and all the teams, particularly the three European teams who reached the World Cup semi-finals, the technical level is at the top and the organisation of the teams is at the top. “Also I think that some teams who didn't play well at the World Cup will now be back at the top. Teams like Portugal, France and Italy will be better and it will be a really tough tournament. “I learned a lot [from the World Cup]. One of the problems we had last year was altitude, but here we can prepare differently. “We have a programme and after the draw we will decide what we need to do. More or less we know our plans, but when we know the exact dates of games we can start to plan the details, for example, when we travel to Krakow and our base camp. It will also be interesting to know the situation of the players." The disappointment of the World Cup has seen somewhat of a revolution in the England team with youngsters replacing older heads and players who were previously not involved, such as Scott Parker, becoming key players. And Capello has insisted he will continue to use the players that brought about an upturn in England's recent form. “The young players can play if they are good enough,” he said. “Now they are good enough, but when we went to South Africa, the gap between the older players and younger players was too big. “Now the gap is closer and the younger players are improving a lot, they are playing with important teams at the top and in the Champions League, Europa League. “In this situation, you know something more as a player and the experience at the top level is really important for the younger players.”