Recalled striker Darren Bent believes the pressure is England ahead of Wednesday's friendly against Germany in Berlin.

Bent believes England`s superb start to their World Cup qualifying campaign means the team can play with more freedom.

Four wins out of four have fired Fabio Capello`s troops to the top of Group Six, a run which has seen England score 14 goals while conceding just three.

The manner of the performances under Capello have been such that the spotlight has not been so intensely trained on the squad in the build-up to the match in Berlin, and Bent admits the players are going out to enjoy themselves on Wednesday.

"Because of how the boys have done in qualifying the pressure is off," the Tottenham striker told a press conference today. "We`re just going out there to impress."

Bent, who has enjoyed a renaissance at Spurs since the arrival of Harry Redknapp and has scored seven league goals this season to earn a recall, added that Capello has brought a new level of professionalism to England training sessions.

He said: "It`s not too different to what it used to be, but the training is more intense and perhaps more professional.

"A lot of the players have told me training is a lot harder - more like club football. The training has been hard and up to scratch."

Bent's hopes of taking to the pitch on Wednesday received a further boost today as Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard added to England`s mounting absentee list.

Gerrard reported for duty last night despite the Liverpool website stating he would be unavailable after picking up a groin injury at Bolton on Saturday.

But a check by the FA's medical staff has proved that diagnosis to be correct and Gerrard has returned to the north-west.

Lampard also misses out after scans on a rib injury he picked up at West Brom on Saturday revealed he would not be fit enough to be involved at the Olympic Stadium.

The midfield duo join Joe Hart, Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand on the withdrawals list.

Capello has been quick to call in a couple of replacements, asking Fulham's Jimmy Bullard and West Ham's Scott Parker to join up at England's Hertfordshire base having already called Paul Robinson into his squad last night.

It means only three of Capello's first-choice line-up is likely to be available for England's first visit to the German capital since 1972.

But one of them is set to be John Terry, who completed a full training session this morning despite fitness doubts that arose over a foot injury he sustained at West Brom at the weekend.