Twickenham has been the least fruitful venue for Wales since the Six Nations started in 2000, but the message from the management to the players this week will be to take the field without fear and express themselves to the full.

Triple crown-chasing Wales, who have won at Twickenham only once since 1988, expect to have a number of injured players available for Saturday, including Sam Warburton, George North and Alun Wyn Jones, but the hooker Huw Bennett is out and his likely replacement, Matthew Rees, will on Tuesday have a fitness test on his strained calf muscle.

Wales and England have both won their opening two matches but while Stuart Lancaster's side have scored their two tries through Charlie Hodgson charge downs, Wales's six have come through their three-quarters. Their attack coach, Rob Howley, does not expect England to radically alter their approach on Saturday.

"It is easier for a new coaching team to work on defence than attack," he said. "Defence is essentially one policy which just needs a bit of tweaking. It takes time to put an attacking strategy together and you have to consider the personnel you have. England do have selections to make behind with players returning and Lee Dickson doing well in Rome when he came on, but as a coach you do not want to be changing the spine of your side."

As a former Test scrum-half, Howley has sympathy with England's Ben Youngs, who struggled to make an impact against Scotland and Italy. "I have been there," he said. "When your pack is going forward and you have quick ball, it is the easiest position to play in the world. When the contact area is a pig fight and possession is slow, you are under pressure as a nine. It has not been easy for Youngs."

It says everything about where Wales are, having reached the World Cup semi-finals and won their opening two games this month, that there has been no mention in recent media conferences of Gavin Henson, although the centre remains in the squad. Wales have been potent in attack, with their mix of power, pace and precision, but there are some who question what they have achieved in that time, with victories over Ireland balanced by defeats to South Africa, France and Australia twice.

"We reached the semi-final on merit given our performances and the way we played," said Howley. "We were disappointed but from a public perspective, our run was unexpected. I think the majority of people thought we would lose in Ireland at the start of the Six Nations, especially with our injuries in the front five in particular.

"We came through that and it has given an amount of self-belief to the players. Twickenham is another game for them. We have got them into a state mentally where they take the field without fear, ready to express themselves and not be intimidated by the occasion. That is what they did in the World Cup and it is what we are asking them to do again. It is not easy: you have to earn the right to play. People should also not underestimate our fitness levels which allow us to play a handling game.

"The players are exceptionally fit, allowing them to see things much earlier and react much quicker in attack and defence. That gives you opportunities and you have to be good enough to take them. Poland [where Wales went on two pre-World Cup training camps] played a huge part in developing their mental strength. There will be a dip in a game when you do not have the ball or make errors, but they get through that by still believing. We like to play an open, expansive game on our terms, not the opposition's, and that will be the key on the weekend."

Wales want the ball in play time to be high, which they achieved in Dublin after a slow opening period. "I expect England might have the attitude that if they can get four penalties, a try and conversion and get 19 points, and they can squeeze us, that might be enough," said the Wales coach, Warren Gatland. "If we go there with our heads right and get some quality ball, we have got a good chance. We are not afraid of going to Twickenham now, we are excited about it. There is no fear factor now and the challenge for us is going there as favourites."