John Terry is set to meet England boss Fabio Capello on Friday to discuss his future as national team captain.
Terry's role is under intense scrutiny after allegations he had an affair with an England team-mate's ex-girlfriend.
The Football Association has made it clear Capello alone will decide the 29-year-old Chelsea defender's fate.
Capello returned to the UK on Thursday and is thought to be keen to resolve the issue before travelling to Poland on Saturday for the Euro 2012 draw.
The Italian has been recovering from knee surgery at his holiday home in Switzerland and made no comment to the media after arriving back in London.
Terry issued a brief statement on Wednesday insisting he would be "keeping his own counsel" until he had held talks with Capello.
The time and location of their meeting is being kept under wraps by the Football Association, which is keen to avoid a media circus.
Capello has been monitoring the fall-out from the Terry saga closely and has regularly spoken to his trusted lieutenant Franco Baldini.
Baldini, England's general manager, held in-depth talks with four key FA board members on Monday - chairman Lord Triesman, chief executive Ian Watmore, director of communications Adrian Bevington and head of development Trevor Brooking.
They agreed that Capello alone would make the decision about Terry's future and that the priority was to make the right decision rather than a quick one.
BBC 5 live's senior football reporter Ian Dennis said: "It's clear that Capello wants the opportunity to listen, to gauge events for himself, before reaching his own conclusion.
"Capello and the FA would like to resolve this matter before he flies to Poland so as to not overshadow Sunday's Euro 2012 qualifying draw and in an ideal world, that would mean a statement this evening."
Terry is alleged to have had an extra-marital affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the former girlfriend of England and former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge.
Bridge, who has a son with the French model, moved to Manchester City in January 2009 and has been sidelined with a knee injury for the last two months.
But team boss Roberto Mancini said on Thursday that the defender, 29, was fit and mentally ready to face Hull on Saturday.
Mancini also said he had discussed Bridge with Baldini on Monday while at Wembley on other business.
"He asked me about Wayne and I told him that he is training every day. I said it is not a good moment in his head but it's not a problem on the training ground."
Perroncel is being advised by public relations guru Max Clifford, who claims she has been offered £250,000 to tell her side of the story.
The possibility of further damaging allegations about Terry in this Sunday's newspapers is another reason why Capello may want to wait before making a decision.
