THERE are no easy games in international football, and most members of England's current team would have great difficulty in finding today's opponents Macedonia on a map, let alone locating the back of their net.

Just in case the room where you're watching the match falls quiet as the mighty Macedonians hold us to a draw, or score direct from a corner, or a Leeds player disgraces himself (all of which happened when England last played Macedonia), here are a few useless tearings of information to take your mind off the game:

* The population of Macedonia is 2.06 million, making it smaller than the North-East (the combined population of Durham, Cleveland, Tyneside and Wearside is 2.2m).

* Macedonia is the oldest name of any country in Europe.

l There are over 100 radio and TV stations, including the only broadcasts in the world in Romany.

* Macedonia was the greatest nation in all Europe under King Alexander the Great (336-323BC). His empire stretched to Egypt and India. It lasted until 146BC and the Romans needed three wars to defeat it.

l There was a brief flowering of the Macedonian state under Tsar Samuil (976-1014) when he captured parts of Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro, but he lost the lot to Byzantine Emperor Basil II at the Battle of Mount Belasica. Basil captured 15,000 Macedonia troops and cruelly blinded them all except for every 100th man whom he generously left with one eye so that he could lead the other 99 home.

* After the First World War, Macedonia was divided between Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria. All three countries spent the 20th century trying to suppress the Macedonian language and culture.

* Following the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1991, the Serbian bit of Macedonia became independent. Greece, though, is worried that its corner of Macedonia will also want independence so it has insisted that England are today playing the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia.

l Before kick-off the Macedonians will lustily sing: "Denes nad Makedonija se ragja novo sonce na slobodata, Makedoncite se borat za svoite pravdini!" (Today above Macedonia, is born the new sun of liberty, The Macedonians fight for their own rights!)

"Gorite Makedonski shumno peat novi pesni, novi vesnici, Makedonija slobodna slobodna zhivee!" (The Macedonian forests sing new songs and news, Macedonia is liberated, it lives in liberty!)

As long as we don't grant them the liberty of our penalty area to sing about, we should be alright.