PHIL Bardsley believes the biggest threat to England on Saturday is being left awestruck by Spain’s football.

The Sunderland defender regards the Wembley friendly as a good test of the Three Lions’ progress under Fabio Capello, but warned matching the visitors on a consistent basis is a totally different matter.

Spain are the world and European champions and seven of their eight Barcelona players are European club champions too.

Bardsley was part of the Scotland team beaten in Spain’s previous game and admits at times all he could do was stand back and admire.

The Manchester-born full-back said: “The England game will be interesting.

“It will show where Spain are at – and where England are at, with all the hype and everything.

“I think they (Spain) can be beaten over a game, probably, but no-one is getting near them in terms of a team and how good they are.

“At first you get tight to them but you are reversing and reversing and reversing and you are on the edge of your own box.

“They are still picking passes and just waiting for one of you to make a mistake and then they are in.”

The match is only a friendly, but Bardsley still expects a serious test for England.

Even if Vicente del Bosque rests his Barcelona players who played in the Copa del Rey last night, he will still have plenty of talent available.

The Premier League’s best goalkeeper Jose Reina and its best outfielder David Silva are not regulars.

Bardsley added: “Playing Spain is the pinnacle of your career against players like that.

“Sometimes you stop and just think ‘Unbelievable’.

“I have never played against a team like it. I said to Fletch (Darren Fletcher) afterwards, what is the difference between playing them and Barcelona?

“He just said, they bring (Lionel) Messi in for Silva. It is not bad, is it?”

Scotland went into their final Euro 2012 qualifying game in Spain knowing they needed to match the Czech Republic’s result against Lithuania.

Manchester City’s Silva scored twice as Spain won 3-1, and the Scots missed out on another major tournament.

Bardsley said: “We knew we had our hands full going into the game, we just hoped Lithuania could do something against the Czech Republic, which they could not

“The first goal was simply incredible.

“We did not touch the ball for four minutes. From kick-off!

“Then I intercepted one from Pedro, it went out for a throw-in. They passed it to the other side and then went and scored. Unbelievable.”