ENGLAND fans might be sweating on the outcome of the qualifiers against Austria and Poland but, for real nailbiting tension, they should spare a thought for the Reebok international brigade.

Jay Jay Okocha, Radhi Jaidi, El-Hadji Diouf, Stelios and Tal Ben Haim all face a make or break weekend in their quests to qualify for the World Cup Finals.

For the injured Okocha, the tension will be unbearable as he watches Nigeria's fate decided by the outcome of two matches.

The Super Eagles, second in Group Four of the African zone, play Zimbabwe at home and must get a better result than group leaders Angola, who play in Rwanda, or they will not be going to Germany.

And that, bearing in mind Okocha's recent announcement that he will not compete in the African Nations Cup in January, could signal the end of his illustrious international career.

Diouf's Senegal, quarter-finalists in South Korea and Japan and potentially the strongest of all the African nations, are also facing elimination.

Currently second in Group One with 18 points, they need to win their home game against Mali and hope leaders Togo (20 points) lose in Congo.

Jaidi at least has the benefit of knowing Tunisia, the African Nations Cup holders, will be in control of their own destiny and need only to avoid defeat in their final qualifier to book their ticket to Germany. It would be a relatively simple task if their opponents were not Morocco, their fiercest rivals and the only team that can knock them off their pedestal.

"The country has gone football crazy over the past week," Jaidi said.

"The public are eager to see us qualify for Germany. I believe this is the biggest game Tunisia has played since we won the African Cup of Nations last year.

"There is intense rivalry between the two countries. There are many similarities through culture and religion. Each team is vying to be the best in Africa and that's why this fixture is so special. The pressure that is on us from the public is massive. Tunisians are desperate to see their team play in Germany next year and we owe it to them to make that dream become reality."

Jaidi, whose performances in the African Nations Cup last year earned him a lucrative move to the Reebok, aims to take a leaf out of Wanderers' book.

"Roger Lemerre (Tunisia's coach) has given us the objective of keeping a clean sheet," he said. "It's similar to how Sam prepares Bolton for the Premiership. The players know that a clean sheet mentality means glory.

"I think we have the upper hand because a draw would be good enough for us. Playing the game in Tunis is a major factor and it will feel like 50,000 fans will be with us on the pitch."

Stelios, whose stock has risen considerably since sharing in Greece's unexpected triumph in last year's European Championships, knows it will take something special if he is to get to Germany.

The Greeks are still in contention but need to win both their remaining games in Denmark on Saturday and at home to Georgia on Wednesday to pip arch-rivals Turkey to runners up spot behind Ukraine, who have already qualified.

But in-form Denmark, who also have an outside chance, will be a tough nut to crack in front of a sell-out crowd in Copenhagen.

But what price Ben Haim's Israel, mere minnows in the world rankings, upsetting the apple cart in Group Four?

The clash of the top two, Switzerland and France, has grabbed all the attention but Israel should rack up another three points at home to the Faroe Islands on Saturday night and that, allied to a draw in Berne, could briefly put them top of the group leaving the qualification hingeing on the France-Cyprus and Republic of Ireland-Switzerland games on Wednesday.

Jussi Jaaskelainen's Finland have made a good fist of it in Group One but they cannot qualify, which means their two home games against Romania on Saturday and the Czech Republic on Wednesday, are only of serious concern to the visitors.

Nevertheless, Sam Allardyce will be anxious to hear that all his internationals, including Hitedoshi Nakata who has friendlies in Latvia (Saturday) and Ukraine (Wednesday), have come through their games unscathed.

At least he need not worry about Jared Borgetti, who has been rested by Mexcio, who have two qualifiers but have already secured their qualification for Germany.