John Terry and Ashley Cole have been ruled out of England's World Cup qualifier against Belarus on Wednesday.

England captain Terry continues to struggle with the back injury which kept him out of Saturday's 5-1 win over Kazakhstan, which saw Rio Ferdinand stand in as skipper.

Meanwhile, Chelsea full-back Cole, who was targeted by certain sections of the Wembley crowd after a mistake that led to the visitors' loan goal, has been ruled out with a strained hamstring.

Ferdinand stood in for the injured Terry in that match, and although the Blues skipper came through some light running and gym work on Sunday he will not join the rest of the squad as they fly out to Minsk on Tuesday morning.

England manager Fabio Capello will now need to make a decision whether to keep Matthew Upson in the central defensive role alongside Ferdinand, while Gareth Barry's holding midfield role is under doubt following a disjointed first-half performance over the weekend.

"I have time to decide whether to play a holding midfielder in Belarus," said Capello.

Victory in Belarus would create history for England by opening a World Cup campaign with four straight wins, but Capello has warned his team against complacency and expects a tough test.

"They are not conservative at all," he said.

"They move all over, like Arsenal, and pass the ball a lot. Belarus are a very dangerous side and this game will not be easy."