England boss Fabio Capello has thrown the gauntlet down to his players after insisting the team must score maximum points in its upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers.

The Italian’s side will face Bulgaria on Friday evening, a match which will be followed by a clash with neighbours Wales next Tuesday as England look to take hold of Group G and pull away from joint table-toppers Montenegro.

"Bulgaria and Wales are really important games for us," the England coach told reporters. "We play the last game against Montenegro and need to be top of the group before that one because it will be a really difficult game. The stadium, the pitch, the fans will be really strong, which is why we need to do well in our next matches."

England thrashed the Bulgarians 4-0 last year, with Jermain Defoe getting himself a hat-trick in the process, and Capello is after a similar display this week in Sofia.

"In our last match against Bulgaria, we played a good game but I remember it well and they got some chances as well," said Capello. "They have a lot of quality and are good with free-kicks and shots from distance. In fact, although we scored four goals, we actually had more chances against Montenegro, when we didn't score. It was just that the keeper made the difference."