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Germans boosted by injury news

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Germany star Bastian SchweinsteigerGermany are 15/8 to beat England on Sunday and their chances of victory have been boosted by the news Bastian Schweinsteiger, Jerome Boateng and Mesut Ozil should all be fit to play.

The Germans defeated Ghana 1-0 on Wednesday night on their way to winning Group D but the victory came at a cost, with a number of key players picking up knocks.

Schweinsteiger appeared to be the biggest doubt after picking up what was initially thought to be a thigh problem. Germany have now confirmed that the influential midfielder is struggling with a hamstring strain but still expect him to be fit for the massive game against Fabio Capello’s men.

Schweinsteiger is 14/1 to grab the first goal if he is passed fit and assistant coach Hans-Dieter Flick is confident he will make it along with Boateng and Ozil, who have calf and ankle injuries respectively.

“Jerome has a bit of a calf strain and Schweini (Schweinsteiger) has a hamstring problem and for both I have to admit it might be a bit critical for them to be in the starting line-up on Sunday, but we are optimistic,” Flick revealed.

“Ozil seems to have twisted his ankle but he is not in pain and I think we will get him fit for Sunday’s game.”

Bayer Leverkusen youngster Toni Kroos is on standby to step in should Schweinsteiger miss out but Flick does not sound too concerned.

“He certainly is an alternative, but as far as Bastian Schweinsteiger is concerned I think we can have reasons to be optimistic,” he added.

“I’ve spoken to the team doctor and he says the recovery time is comparatively short. We just hope he’s in the starting line-up and fit to play because he’s become a key player.”

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Hughton hopes stars stay

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Newcastle United manager Chris HughtonNewcastle United boss Chris Hughton is hoping to keep hold of his key players as he warns potential buyers to keep their hands off (Manchester United 1/5, draw 9/2, Newcastle 9/1).

The Magpies are back in the Premier League after a season’s absence in which they dominated the Championship.

Now the North-East club are looking to utilise all the key players that helped them secure promotion last season as they look to retain their Premier League status.

Owner Mike Ashley has told Hughton that he will not be able to spend big this summer on new signings, making it even more imperative that the likes of Steven Taylor, Andy Carroll and Jonas Gutierrez stay at the club.

Hughton started as the care-taker manager of Newcastle but impressed after guiding the club back to the top flight.

The 51-year-old has stated that other clubs should look elsewhere for signings this summer.

He said:  “I can categorically say that we have not had one bid or any interest in any of our first team players and we wouldn’t welcome any either.

“There have been no offers for either Steven or Andy. They are important players for us.

“The interest that we’ve had in our players has been about the younger lads, possibly taking them on loan, and that is something that we have to decide on later in the summer.”

Newcastle have been linked with signings of their own in this transfer window.

Bolton Wanderers have reportedly turned down a £1m bid from the Magpies for the defender Jlloyed Samuel.

The 29-year-old has 12 months left on his current deal at the Reebok Stadium and the former Aston Villa player has not featured in Owen Coyle’s plans.

Newcastle could be tempted to offer an improved bid as Hughton looks to strengthen his squad with a long season ahead.

The St James’ Park club have also declared their interest in the former Bolton loan player Jack Wilshere.

The Arsenal (6/1 to win the Premier League) youngster is set to have another season on loan from the Emirates Stadium as he looks to develop his game by playing regular football.

Hughton has expressed his interest in the 18-year-old for next season.

He said: “Wilshere is a very good young player and I think young players should get the chance to mature. They are the type of players I am looking at.”

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Messi to play for the people

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Argentina and Barcelona's Lionel MessiArgentina (1/100 to win Group B) will definitely play Lionel Messi in Tuesday’s final Group B clash against Greece, coach Diego Maradona has insisted.

There had been much speculation that the Barcelona 22-year-old would be rested for the match amid concerns about keeping him fresh for the latter stages of the tournament.

But Maradona said it would be a “sin” to deprive the public of Messi’s talents against Greece, even though Argentina are virtually assured of qualifying for the next phase.

Maradona insisted that the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year would feature in the match in Polokwane.

“Lionel Messi always wants to play and I thought I should give him a break (in training), but if you have a player as good as Leo, who is the best player in the world, I think it would be a sin not to give Messi to the people, to the team, and leave out the player who can certainly make the difference in a match,” said Maradona.

“We of course wanted to give Lionel Messi a break (in training). He will play.”

Maradona also played down Messi’s lack of success in front of goal. The striker has not yet scored in Argentina’s two games.

“If Messi is having a bad run then let him continue with that bad run, because I’m extremely pleased with Messi’s performances,” said Maradona.

“He goes out to play and help his team-mates. Leo helps define the match and creates things for the other players.”

Meanwhile, Maradona, whose infamous “Hand of God” is one of the most controversial incidents in World Cup history, believes more emphasis should be placed on fair play in the tournament.

Maradona appealed to FIFA prior to the start of the tournament to highlight their Fair Play campaign during the competition.

He then repeated the call for referees to protect flair players ahead of Argentina’s second group match against South Korea.

“We all want fair play, I understand that the referee may make a mistake but when (Argentina captain Javier) Mascherano, for instance, gets a card and the Korean player kicks out and gets nothing, no card, then sometimes as a coach you have doubts,” he said.

“This is football and not kung-fu fighting. So I don’t think yet we’ve seen the fair play we want to see.”

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United reject Cole link

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Manchester United have ruled out a swoop for Joe Cole, currently on World Cup duty with England, which could pave the way for north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal to make a move (Arsenal 6/1 to win the Premier League 2010/2011).

Cole will be a free-agent as of July 1 when his contract with Chelsea comes to an end and the Stamford Bridge side have already confirmed Cole will move on.

A number of clubs are said to be keen on the former West Ham playmaker and reports earlier this week suggested the Old Trafford side were the most likely candidates to secure a deal.

However, the Guardian newspaper have now claimed a source has told them United have no interest in the 28-year-old, which would allow Arsenal and Spurs to move in.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp confirmed he was keen to sign Cole after it became clear he had no future with Chelsea but Redknapp has since stated he has been unable to speak to Cole and believed he had agreed terms elsewhere.

This would now appear not to be the case as the midfielder is focussing on his international commitments and Redknapp will move quickly as soon as the World Cup is over to try and seal a deal.

However, Arsenal have also been mooted as potential suitors for Cole and a battle for the player’s signature could erupt between the two north London rivals.

Redknapp has worked with Cole before when manager to West Ham and the current Spurs boss was the manager who gave Cole his debut in the Premier League.

Spurs also have Champions League football to offer for the first time in their history, while Cole will already know the likes of Aaaron Lennon, Jermaine Defoe and Peter Crouch, amongst others at White Hart Lane, having played alongside the Spurs men in the England squad (Spurs 50/1 to win the Premier League).

Arsenal face the very real prospect of losing captain Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona this summer and if the Spaniard does decide to leave they will be eager to find a suitable replacement.

Although Cole and Fabregas are not particularly similar in playing-style the England international could well fit in to the Arsenal line-up and boss Arsene Wenger has already confirmed he is keen to bring in some new faces over the summer to boost the Gunners chances of securing some silverware next season.

It appears Cole will not decide upon anything until after the World Cup, but as soon as England’s tournament is over he will probably have a number of options to consider with current reports suggesting Spurs and Arsenal are leading the chase for his signature.

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England 9/1 to lift World Cup

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England are now 9/1 to lift the World Cup after they secured progression to the last-16 of the tournament by beating Slovenia 1-0.

However, they did do it the hard way, missing a raft of chances before a last-ditch challenge from Matthew Upson preserved their slender lead.

England took the lead through Jermain Defoe in the 22nd minute after he latched on to a delightful cross from the imperious James Milner.

The performances of Defoe, Milner and Upson justified their inclusion in the side and will reduce the doubts of some over the managerial capabilities of England boss Fabio Capello, who had been questioned following the 0-0 draw against Algeria.

The USA’s last-gasp win against Algeria – courtesy of a Landon Donovan goal deep into injury time – means that the Americans top the group on goals scored and will face the runners-up of Group D in Rustenburg on Saturday evening.

England face the winners of Group D in Bloemfontein on Sunday afternoon, which could be Germany if they beat Ghana this evening (Ghana 6/1, Draw 10/3, Germany 4/9). The prospect of the two old foes meeting in knockout football promises to be a mouth-watering affair and England will need to step up again if they are to have any chance of beating the stylish Germans.

Speaking after the game, Tottenham Hotspur coach Harry Redknapp praised the performance of his club striker Defoe, and said that England had little to fear from Germany.

He told the  BBC: “There wasn’t a weakness in the team tonight. I think we’ve got a big chance still to win the competition. It could be Germany in the next round but bring them on. I still think we can beat them.

“As for Jermain’s goal – it was great movement, a great cross and fantastic finish. The little man has done it all his life. He has always had that natural instinct to get across defenders like all good goalscorers.”

Wayne Rooney was substituted in the second half amid fears about his ongoing ankle injury.

He has been cut to 33/1 in totesport’s World Cup top goalscorer betting after he failed to score in the group stage and missed a couple of gilt-edged chances against Slovenia, including an occasion when he had an effort pushed on to the post. There are doubts about whether he will feature in the second round game but Fabio Capello confirmed that he “should be okay”.

Capello was under criticism for the performance of his side during the first two group games and he claimed that this was not the team that he knew in his post-match comments after the 0-0 draw against Algeria. Speaking after today’s game, he was far happier.

“This is what I wanted to see – the spirit, see them fight together,” he said. “I am really, really happy. I rediscovered the team I knew from qualification.”

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Maradona plays down hype

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Argentina (4/1 to win the World Cup) head coach Diego Maradona has played down the hype surrounding his side as they comfortably qualified from Group B at the World Cup in South Africa.

The 1986 world champions qualified from a group which featured the likes of Nigeria, South Korea and Greece with the Argentines beating them all with relative ease.

However, Maradona does not want his squad to get carried away and believe the hype that currently surrounds them.

He said: “Now the road gets more difficult.

“You always hear about Germany, Italy, Brazil playing poorly, but they’re always in the second round, quarters, semi-finals and the final,? he added.

Argentina (Argentina 1/2, draw 3/1, Mexico 5/1) have played some of the best football of the tournament so far and will be confident as they go into their first knockout match against Group A runners-up Mexico.

In Argentina’s last group game against Greece, a match in which they cruised to 2-0 victory, Lionel Messi (18/1 to be top goalscorer at the World Cup) became the youngest player to captain his country at a World Cup.

The 22-year-old Barcelona superstar has revealed that the opportunity to skipper Argentina was “very special” to him.

Maradona rested a number of players including Javier Mascherano and Gonzalo Higuain but decided to play Messi who is considered the best player in the world at the moment.

“We want to be world champions with Messi,” Maradona said.

“We had the opportunity to leave him out but we wanted to play him. A lot of people come to see him play. To leave him out would be a sin,” he added.

Mexico will be looking to cause an upset against Argentina on June 26.

The two sides faced each other at the same stage of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Argentina were victorious that day, winning 2-1 after extra time in Leipzig but this time round Javier Aguirre wants to come to out on top.

He said: “This could be a nice opportunity to take revenge for what happened four years ago.”

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Capello must stay – Lampard

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Frank Lampard and Fabio CapelloFabio Capello must stay on as England coach, even if the team fails against Slovenia, midfielder Frank Lampard has insisted (England 11/10 to win Group C).

Lampard was also quick to quieten the storm created by Chelsea colleague John Terry’s comments regarding Capello’s tactics.

The midfielder tried to play down the impact of Terry’s outburst as the thoughts of a player who has the passion to play for his country and who does not want to make an early exit from the tournament.

Lampard said: “I saw some of his comments and John is very passionate, as are all 23 members of this squad. He has been here a long time and is an experienced player.

“He was talking about being 100% behind the manager, that the team wanted to turn it around.

“One of us gets put up every day to speak and John was trying to convey the message that we are going to fight and try and turn things around.”

Lampard added: “I don’t like talking about meetings because the reason we have meetings together is so they can stay in-house.

“But it certainly wasn’t a crisis meeting. The manager spoke, we watched some of the Algerian game, which wasn’t the best.

“We had a look at things that we need to put right – and that was it.

“On the other hand, if the players do want to speak to the manager or (general manager) Franco Baldini, the door is always open for them to speak to them.

“I think people have jumped on things, saying it was a huge crisis meeting with people having it out. But at the meeting yesterday, we just dealt with the Algerian game.

“In terms of team selections and tactics, I’ve always grown up in football where the manager dictates those sort of things.

“If you want to speak to him, that’s fair enough, but it is the manager’s responsibility to get the best out of his players and pick the team.”

Lampard stressed the need to focus on Wednesday’s game.

“We are footballers and when the politics and the off-the-pitch stuff start taking over everything then there is something a little bit wrong.

“We have to be concentrated now on the game and what we do on the pitch.

“I try not to pay too much attention to what is written or said.

“I don’t know how everyone deals with it but as a group we have to stay strong and try not to let outside influences affect how you perform.”

Lampard has immense respect for Capello and would like him to remain in charge whatever England achieve in South Africa.

He said: “The manager did not have to reaffirm his authority at the meeting.

“He got authority from the moment he walked into this job two years ago and continues to have that.

“Everyone can see that in his manner, in his record, and the players have complete respect for him.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with him, I’ve respected everything about him and yes, I would like him to stay.

“It’s a question for him and the FA but I’ve been lucky enough to work with some fantastic managers and Fabio Capello is right up there.”

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Coast hoping for a miracle

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Ivory Coast manager Sven-Goran ErikssonIvory Coast’s players say they are hoping for a miracle when they face North Korea in their final group G match. (Ivory Coast 1/3 to win the match)

The Portuguese were highly impressive in their 7-0 thrashing of North Korea and will now face Brazil in their final game, fully aware that their superior goal difference puts them firmly in the driving seat to take second qualification spot in the group.

The Brazilians have already qualified for the knockout rounds and are likely to field an under strength team in order to rest their key players for the big matches ahead.

The Ivory Coast have so far been disappointing in the competition opening with an uninspiring performance against Portugal and then losing to Brazil in a bad tempered match which saw Kaka sent off after a seemingly innocuous clash with Abdelkader Keita.

This now leaves the Ivorians, who only have a point to their name so far in the competition, needing to beat the North Koreans by a cricket score and hoping that Brazil can pull off a shock victory to help the Mighty Elephants qualify. (Ivory Coast 16/1 to qualify)

“If we win this match maybe a miracle can happen – only God knows. We will try to win our last match and if we exit, exit with our heads held high. We must believe we can still do it.” defender Artur Boka told reporters.

The Ivorians are in the so-called Group of Death and knew when the draw was made that it would be a struggle to qualify. However, they never believed their task would be so hard and striker Gervinho readily admits that he held his head in his hands during the Portugal’s rout of the North Koreans.”

“Every five minutes when I saw another goal I thought — this is catastrophic and the end for us,” he said.

Boka told reporters that he believed that his side as well as the other African nations had been unlucky not to fulfil the high expectations placed on them ahead of the first finals played on African soil.

“There are teams which in the future will make an impression — we have shown in this competition at least that we know how to play football.”

“We have teams who play good football but found it difficult to finish,” he said, adding hope was not lost for Ghana to progress, the only team from the continent to have won a game in the competition so far.

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Neill rejects criticism

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Australia skipper Lucas Neill has told reporters his side are not a team of “whingers” as his side stand on the verge of World Cup elimination. (Australia 20/1 qualify)

The Socceroos have only picked up a solitary point from both their games and have a poor goal difference due to the 4-0 hammering they received in their opener against Germany. Australia have also had a man sent off in both their matches so far and have come under fire from their nation’s media for their disappointing conduct both on and off the field.

Neill was visibly disappointed about the criticism and stated that he believed it to be totally unfair. Australia need to beat Serbia by three or more goals and then hope that Germany beat Ghana. (Australia 16/5 to win)

He told reporters: “Everything that’s been written in the last couple of days is the fact that we’re all of a sudden a team of whingers. I think it’s everybody else who’s doing the  whinging.

“Australia have never been a team that whinges, we don’t want to be regarded as a team that whinges.”

“Did we whinge when we were down to 10 men (against Ghana)? We took it on the chin, stood up and in the end probably could have won the game. That’s not a team that whinges.

“A team that whinges is a team that would have lost 3-1 or 4-1 and then come in and complained to the referee.”

The comments came after both Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell told the press that they felt hard done by after being sent off against Germany and Australia respectively and Cahill was even quoted as saying that side had “have never been given the fair go”.

The skipper was keen to come to the defence of the Everton playmaker and insisted that that the midfielder had been misquoted.

“Tim never said that. Why would he?” Neill added. “Every single player went out of that dressing room the other day and took it on the chin. There is nothing we could have done about it.

With regards to Kewell’s dismissal was also quick to defend the player, saying his comments were borne out of pure frustration.

“Harry Kewell said he has worked hard to get where he has and now he has been sent off after 20 minutes,” Neill continued.

“That is not really a whinge, that is disappointment. “But we are going to give him another game, we are going to try anyway.”

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Robben ready to take a gamble

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Netherlands winger Arjen RobbenArjen Robben is ready to take a gamble by playing against Cameroon on Thursday for the Netherlands (Holland 1/33 to win Group E).

The winger suffered a hamstring injury during the Dutch side’s final warm-up game against Hungary, and had to have five days of treatment.

He said he could play against Cameroon, just 19 days since he suffered the injury.

“Playing against Cameroon is possible,” Robben told reporters. “Risk is a big word as we already have taken a risk by choosing an aggressive treatment, where we could have written off the World Cup and said just go on holiday.”

The Dutch are already through to the last 16, so the pressure is off them to play their first-choice team against the already-eliminated Cameroon side.

The questions about a “missing link” in the Dutch side have made Robben a hot media topic but the nature of the injury has left him on the sidelines.

“You have to be 100 percent to play,” he said. “So far we have been considering the situation day-by-day as it happened only two weeks ago and normally it would take four to six weeks to recover from such an injury,” he added.

“Yesterday I had a tough training session, with some good five-a-side matches, and I came through well. I don’t think there’s a big risk that anything will happen to the hamstring.”

If Robben features at these finals it will be his fourth straight appearance at a major tournament.

“It has been hard so far,” said Robben. “I noticed during the first two matches that it is painful if you can’t play and just have to stay on the sidelines.”

“The recuperation was no fun at all and sometimes I felt like a martyr but I knew why I did it,” he added.

Holland boss Bert van Marwijk will let Robben make his own judgment over his fitness.

The winger has missed Holland’s two Group E victories with a hamstring problem so far as his team-mates breezed into the last 16 by beating Denmark and Japan.

“I am going to leave him to make the decision,” said Van Marwijk.

“He knows his own body best and he will let me know when he is ready.

“It can be in the next game or it can be in the knockout phase. He must take the decision.

“I’d prefer that he is used only when he is fit.”

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