BUENOS AIRES, June 6: Argentine legend and one-time England nemesis Diego Maradona says England are running scared as they prepare to face his country in Friday’s crucial encounter which will have both nations glued to their television screens.

Maradona insists that Juan Sebastian Veron and company will destroy Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side.

“They will show that the English are absolutely terrified, they are quaking in their boots,” Maradona said.

The eagerly-awaited showdown in the Sapporo Dome will bring England and Argentina to a standstill as Argentine fans huddle over their breakfast table while England fans work out how to skip a day’s work — or take an extended lunch break.

For Argentines, the match falls in the early hours — but for once schoolchildren will have no problems getting up ultra-early.

On the timetable: World Cup football — and no morning lessons.

Teachers’ union leader Marta Maffei revealed most schools had agreed to put the start of the timetable back by three hours.

One headmistress, Viviana Digano, praised football’s educational value — she was already saving foreign press cuttings of match reports to use in language classes.

Schoolchildren are not alone in their enthusiasm, with figures from all walks of society wearing their footballing hearts on their sleeve come the game — including President Eduardo Duhalde, who was up before dawn to watch the win over Nigeria.

Actor and singer Alfredo Casero has already done his bit for the cause by writing a song in Japanese — but not everyone is getting in on the act.

Musician Pipo Cipolatti vowed to stay in bed — presumably his television is in his sitting room — because “since Diego stopped playing I no longer watch the team.”

Writer Dalmiro Saenz does not share such negative sentiment and doesn’t have to worry about getting to the office on time.

“That’s one advantage of never having worked in my life,” he joked.

Maradona blasted tabloid reports which quoted Argentina’s Manchester United midfielder Veron as saying that “the match against the English doesn’t mean anything special for me.”

Maradona told La Nacion that was a complete misrepresentation.

“In the papers they took his comments out of context to make it sound as if he is nervous. But tell Veron from me: Go out and play your normal game, don’t listen to anyone ... they are scared to death.

“If they win they will say it was because they made Veron nervous; but if they lose they will make life impossible for him - they will drive him crazy,” said Maradona.—AFP