London, Dec. 25 : German skipper Michael Ballack reckons England is one of the favourites to win the World Cup next summer in South Africa.

The Chelsea midfielder believes Fabio Capello could lead the Three Lions to glory for the first time since 1966.

"England has a great team and many players with exceptional individual class. With Capello, they now have a manager who has brought stability. That is important and the team feels that,” The Sun quoted 33-year-old Ballack, as saying.

"They have got to be able to win games even when they are not playing at the highest level and that is what Italian managers are good at, particularly him. England is oozing self-confidence and I can sense that here. They are one of the favourites," he added.

Ballack also believes Brazil, Italy and France have a great chance of lifting the trophy.

But he is not convinced about Germany''s prospects. (ANI)