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Spain receive Fabregas boost

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Arsenal and Spain's Cesc FabregasSpain (4/1f for the World Cup) have received a pre-World Cup boost with midfielder Cesc Fabregas declaring himself confident of making the start of the tournament in South Africa.

The 22-year-old Arsenal star has been out of action since he suffered a cracked bone in his fibula against Barcelona in the March 31 Champions League quarter-final, and ended the Premier League season in the stands.

Fabregas has been recuperating in Spain, and believes he is well on track to be fit for the World Cup opener against Switzerland in Durban on June 16 (Spain 1/3, draw 10/3, Switzerland 9/1).

He said: “I am pleased to say that my recovery from a cracked fibula is on schedule.

“I have started jogging for the first time, and it looks as if I will begin running again properly tomorrow.

“I am happy with how things are going and now I just have to be patient, making sure I come back as strongly as I can.”

He added: “On May 24, I will join up with the Spanish national team and should be able to join in a bit when we play Saudi Arabia five days later.

“The timing is looking good for the World Cup, but I am sad not to have played a part in the end of Arsenal’s season.”

Fabregas has been a vital part of Arsenal’s campaign, which ended with them finishing in third place in the Premier League.

The former Barcelona trainee, who joined Arsenal in 2003 at the age of 16, began his international career with Spain when he played at the FIFA U-17 World Championship in Finland in 2003, and was called up to the senior squad ahead of the 2006 World Cup.

He helped Spain win Euro 2008, and has now scored five times in 47 appearances for the national team.

He has already battled back from one serious injury, just in time to make the Confederations Cup last June, which was also staged in South Africa.

He scored what was his second international goal in the 5-0 win against New Zealand in the group stages, and was part of the team that was shocked 2-0 by the USA in the semi-finals.

Fabregas was last on target for the national side in November, when scoring in the 5-1 win in Vienna which Spain won 5-1.

The star will be hoping that off-field distractions are kept to a minimum ahead of the tournament, as there have been rumours of him leaving the Emirates Stadium to join Barcelona.

Barca’s Yaya Toure has apparently suggested that he could move to Arsenal as part of a deal taking Fabregas the other way, with suggestions that a further £25 million could be paid to Arsenal.

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Japan spring a few surprises

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Japan goalkeeper Yoshikatsu KawaguchiGoalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi has been handed a surprise spot in Japan’s World Cup squad.

Takeshi Okada caused a shock by handing the 34-year-old former Portsmouth keeper a recall to the squad as the third-choice goalkeeper.

Kawaguchi played for Japan in their opening World Cup fixture 12 years ago in France, and was the squad’s first choice four years ago in Germany.

But he was rarely mentioned in the lead-up to the squad announcement, after being out of action since last season.

He broke his right shin last season when playing for Jubilo Iwata in the J-League, and only recently returned to full training.

However, he has been included as one of three keepers along with Kawasaki Frontale’s Eiji Kawashima and Nagoya Grampus’ Seigo Narazaki, who will be making their fourth World Cup appearances.

Okada said: “The third-choice goalkeeper is a very difficult position for Kawaguchi but I feel the team needs his presence and leadership and that is why I picked him.

“He lost his regular place on the national team, and I had a chat with him and asked him if he could accept being a sub.

“I have been watching him since I dropped him altogether, to see how he would play.

“Before he got injured I thought if he could put up with being third-choice keeper and keep aiming just to be in the national team that I might take him.

“I feel he has become stronger mentally during what has been a tough period for him and that, in the end, is why I put him in the squad.”

There were few other surprises in the squad announced before the media, with CSKA Moscow star Keisuke Honda and fellow European-based midfielders Daisuke Matsui and Makoto Hasebe selected along with former Celtic playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura and Shimizu S-Pulse striker Shinji Okazaki.

“I had a tough time with every position in the team,” said Okada. “I have picked players that are aggressive in both attack and defence so that Japan can win games at the World Cup.”

He believes his squad is capable of reaching the semi finals and said: “I haven’t changed the objective. In order to make that come true, however, we first have to get through the group stage and our first match against Cameroon will be the most important to us.” Japan are 21/10 to beat Cameroon, whilst the draw is 9/4. Cameroon are 6/5 to win.

Japan will get together on May 21 and play their 2002 tournament co-hosts South Korea in Saitama three days later, before heading off for a training camp in Switzerland. Japan are 125/1 to win the World Cup.

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New Zealand name World Cup squad

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New Zealand manager Ricki HerbertNew Zealand (1500/1 for World Cup) coach Ricki Herbert has named two uncapped players in his World Cup squad.

Aaron Clapham, a former under-20 international, has been included for the first time at senior level after being part of Herbert’s 15-man training squad that gathered for 12 days last month.

The 23-year-old caught Herbert’s eye in the weekend trial match when he created a goal during the New Zealand A victory against a New Zealand Football Championship All Stars XI.

Clapham set up the second goal in the 2-0 victory for Costa Barbarouses, and it was a performance that set the seal on his inclusion in the squad.

“He has come into this group and looked very comfortable,” said Herbert of the man who plays his football in the NZFC with Canterbury United.

“He is the type of player that should be around the international scene for many years and he has a big future in the professional game.”

The other uncapped player to land a ticket to South Africa is Winston Reid of FC Midtjylland.

Herbert has largely kept his pledge to the 18-strong squad which landed New Zealand only their second appearance at the World Cup finals, via a two-legged playoff against Bahrain in November.

The only player to have missed out from that group is Aaron Scott, who was axed in favour of Reid.

Reid pledged his allegiance to New Zealand only recently, having represented Denmark at under-20 level, while Tommy Smith has also been recruited into the side.

The Ipswich Town player made his debut in March in the defeat to Mexico, having played at under-18 level for England.

Herbert said he was comfortable at having named David Mulligan despite the player not having featured for 46 matches for his club Wellington Phoenix.

Herbert, who also coaches Wellington, released Mulligan in April but said: “David has been a victim of circumstances at the Phoenix where other players have come in and played well, keeping him out of the team.

“He has never stopped working hard however and his attitude has been first class.”

There are seven Australian A-League players named in the squad, five of them coming from the Phoenix.

Wellington players to earn their place on the plane to South Africa are goalkeeper Mark Paston, defenders Tony Lochhead and Ben Sigmund, and midfielders Leo Bertos and Tim Brown.

Former Phoenix striker Shane Smeltz, who finished as the league’s top scorer last season with Gold Coast United, has secured his place in the squad, as has Newcastle Jets’ Jeremy Brockie.

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Holloway insists there is nothing to fear

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Blackpool manager Ian HollowayBlackpool boss Ian Holloway says the Seasiders have nothing to fear when they travel to Nottingham Forest for Tuesday night’s Championship play-off semi final second leg.

Holloway’s men hold a slender 2-1 advantage following Saturday’s first-leg at Bloomfield Road but know they will face a sterner examination when travel to the City Ground.

A draw will be enough to take the Seasiders through to Wembley and punters who fancy them to hold Forest can take a price of 5/2, while the win is 4/1.

Blackpool can take heart from the fact they have already beaten Forest on their home turf this season when a goal from leading scorer Charlie Adam earned them a 1-0 win and Holloway is hoping for much of the same.

“Forest know they are brilliant at home. They just know that. You only have to look at their record this season,” Holloway revealed.

“But we’ve got nothing to fear and we’ve got to go there and try to play. A little fillip for us is that we did manage to go there and win 1-0 earlier in the season. Whether it was luck or not, we did it.

“If we can get lucky in this next one then I’ll take it. But we can’t rely on that.”

Adam is 8/1 to bag the first goal, while punters who are predicting a repeat of events at the City Ground back in September can take a price of 50/1.

Forest are usually outstanding at home and are odds on at 8/11 to pick up the victory. They need to win 2-0 (6/1) to prevent it going to extra-time as away goals do not come into play, so it is sure to be an open game.

The last three fixtures between the two sides have also been high scoring affairs with three or more goals scored and punters can take odds of 11/10 on another goal fest.

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Ferguson determined to carry on

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Manchester United boss Sir Alex FergusonManchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has stated that his health is the only factor that will determine how long he stays in management (Man United  7/1 to win the Premiership title outright).

The 68-year-old has endured constant speculation over his future at the club over the last few seasons despite the domestic and European success the club has achieved.

Ferguson has been in charge at Old Trafford for almost 24 years and has continued to build strong squads through a mixture of strong signings and academy youngsters.

United go into the final day of the season one point behind leaders Chelsea who will be confident of winning their match against Wigan at Stamford Bridge.

This would leave United with only one piece of silverware this season in the form of the League Cup. This would be considered a disappointing season from the club’s perspective.

However if this is indeed the only trophy to come to Old Trafford this season, it will not deter Ferguson to push on for more honours next season as long as he has no issue with his health (Man United 11/5 to win the 2010/2011 Premiership title outright).

The Scotsman said: “The thing I hope is that my health is OK. When you get to 68 years of age, you are not guaranteed anything. You hope you wake up in the morning.

“So you say to yourself, ‘There for the Grace of God that I am still here.”

“And that is the only thing that determines you in connection with football. You couldn’t possibly do your job unless you were healthy,” he added.

Ferguson believes that United’s season came down to the one week in which they lost to Chelsea at Old Trafford and crashed out of the Champions League on away goals against Bayern Munich.

The manager feels that if the results in this week had been different then their season could have been a completely different story.

Speculation over how long Ferguson has left at United has been present at the beginning and end of recent seasons and discussions over who will be his successor have continued.

Over the years names such as Martin O’Neill and Jose Mourinho have been implicated with the manager’s job at Old Trafford but Ferguson is likely to have an input as to who will succeed him.

He said: “You can talk about the successful managers right now who might be on everyone’s list. But in two years, they may not be. Or even next year.

“So it’s very difficult to say who would replace me when my time came.”

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Bolton ace’s World Cup boost

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Boss Owen Coyle is adamant star Bolton defender Gary Cahill is good enough to make the England World Cup squad (England 5/2 – Top European Team) – and he hopes the 24-year-old is still a Trotter if he makes it to South Africa this summer.

Three Lions coach Fabio Capello is set to name his preliminary squad imminently, with the Italian set to make big decisions over the likes of Spurs duo Ledley King and Michael Dawson while speculation suggests Liverpool’s Jamie Carragher could be tempted out of international retirement.

But Coyle reckons Cahill, who the Trotters snapped up from Aston Villa in January 2008, should definitely in the reckoning for South Africa 2010.

He said: “People will say I am biased but I look around and he is good enough to be in the England squad.

“For such a young age, and him being the top-scoring English centre-back in the country with pace and power, I don’t want to lose him.”

Coyle lives in the real world after cutting his managerial teeth with St Johnstone and Burnley before being chosen to succeed Gary Megson at the Reebok in January.

And while he wants to keep Cahill on board for next season’s Premier League campaign, he also knows a big-money offer would be impossible for Wanderers to turn down.

“I want Gary to help build on where we are. But I accept if someone comes in with an unbelievable £30million offer then we couldn’t stand in his way,” said the Scot.

“It would be the right thing for the club and the right thing for Gary.

“But my plan is to keep Gary here along with the rest of the ones I want at a football club and try to build a team.”

Cahill and Bolton (11/10 to win) complete their season with a home game against Birmingham (12/5) on Sunday afternoon and no doubt Capello will want a report – and not just over Cahill’s performance.

Bolton’s side could feature midfielder Stuart Holden, the USA international, who is in contention after a broken leg picked up in March.

The 24-year-old, who has won 12 caps for his country since his debut, will be desperate to prove his fitness in order to stand a chance of facing England on June 12.

Birmingham keeper Joe Hart also has hopes of making it into the England squad after winning rave reviews during his season-long loan spell at St Andrew’s from Manchester City.

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Aussies reeling from Kewell blow

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Australian football fans have been dealt a significant blow with the news that Harry Kewell is a major doubt ahead of the World Cup in South Africa this summer (125/1 Australia – World Cup 2010 outright).

The Galatasaray forward is reported to have re-injured his groin just days before coach Pim Veerbeek is expected to name his provisional squad on May 11.

The talismanic midfielder-cum-striker has only just returned to action after being out for four months with the problem. However, just two days into his return, he aggreavated the injury and is now expected to miss Galatasaray’s final two games of the season.

Galatasaray assistant coach Johan Neeskens admits that the situation is difficult and hard to predict. He admitted that he doesn’t know whether Kewell will make the World Cup and that the final decision will be up to the player and the doctors within the Australian camp.

Neeskens said: “Stage by stage he got better but then he fell back again. He chose to stop training and take treatment. But sometimes after three or four days, if he stops treatment and starts training again, it comes back again.

“He started again with the team a week ago but now in the second week he got some pain and didn’t feel comfortable. On Tuesday, he stopped again and couldn’t continue the work because it’s too painful.”

Neeskens accepts that his absence will be a major loss for Australia, who are hoping to improve on their achievements in the 2006 World Cup.

In Germany, they finished second in their group and were unfortunate to be knocked out by Italy in the last-16 through a last-minute penalty.

Veerbeek  has already set a target of going one better in South Africa and at least reaching the last eight. However, they have been handed a very difficult group which features Germany, Serbia and Ghana. This has forced totesport to make Australia 15/2 to qualify from their group and these odds could lengthen if Kewell’s absence is confirmed.

Only last week, Kewell said that he was ready to lead from the front for the Socceroos after spending most of his career on the left flank.

He said that if Veerbeek had this in mind, he would be comfortable in this position as he played up front for both Liverpool and Leeds United. He said that he relished the added responsibility of playing in the role and that he has the confidence to take it on. He said that before the injury he was fit and scoring goals, and was clearly relishing going to South Africa.

It was also reported in The Daily Telegraph that he was glad to return from his groin injury and that he wanted to improve his fitness going into the World Cup. He said that he was sure he could do this as he was “working hard day and night to get to where I need to be and I’ll be fine for the World Cup”.

Unforuntately for Kewell, his latest setback could significantly dent his match fitness, even if it doesn’t rule him out of the World Cup entirely. His absence will undoubtedly be a bitter blow for Kewell and Australia. The Socceroos are currently 125/1 to  win the World Cup but Kewell’s absence could make these chances even more remote.

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Ranieri hints at Totti omission

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Roma coach Claudio Ranieri has hinted that Francesco Totti will not be going to the World Cup with Italy (12-1 to win the tournament) despite rumours that he was set to come out of international retirement.

The 33-year-old has not played for the Azzurri since the 2006 World Cup and announced his international retirement in 2007. Then coach Roberto Donadoni tried to persuade the Rome legend to come out of retirement for the Euro 2008 qualifiers but Totti refused, preferring to concentrate on his club career in the Italian capital.

Marcello Lippi is now in charge of the Italian side and will announce his 30-man preliminary squad on Tuesday with rumours that Totti could be set to make himself available for selection.

However reports in the Italian media suggest that Lippi will not go back to the past and give Totti a chance to add to the 58 caps he has won during his illustrious career and will overlook the Roma legend.

Ranieri made his feeling clear on the issue, saying: “Selfishly I am happy,” as the former Chelsea boss wants his man fit and ready for the domestic season in August, without the possibility of picking up an injury while on World Cup duty this summer.

Italy are the defending World Cup champions but Spain are the favourites at 4-1 to lift the trophy for the first time with Brazil second favourites at 5-1.

England are priced at 11-2, with Argentina on offer at 13-2 to win the World Cup for the first time since 1986 and the Dutch a 12-1 chance to take the trophy.

Italy are in Group F in South Africa along with Paraguay, Slovakia and New Zealand and are 1-14 favourites to come out of the group and make it through to the knock-out phase of the world’s greatest football tournament.

Paraguay are priced at 8-15 to qualify with Slovakia on offer at 11-8 and the Kiwis priced at 8-1 to make it to the last 16.

Another market to watch out for is the ’stage of elimination’ with Italy 9-4 to exit the competition at the last-16 stage and 5-2 to make a quarter-final departure.

The Azzurri are priced at 7-2 to be a losing semi-finalist and 7-1 to suffer the heartbreak of losing in the final.

The Italians are strong favourites to make it out of their group but a 13-2 price has been quoted for Italy to be eliminated from the event at the group stage.

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Fab ‘considering Carragher recall’

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Fabio Capello looks set to name Jamie Carragher in the England World Cup squad in an effort to solve his centre-back crisis (England 11/2 to win the World Cup).

The Liverpool central defender quit international football three years ago, but speculation has increased that Capello will name Carragher in his 30-man provisional squad on Tuesday.

Those chosen in the provisional squad are set to travel to a pre-tournament training camp in Austria and have warm-up games against Mexico and Japan, before the opening World Cup game against USA on June 12 (England 1/3 to win Group C).

Carragher made himself unavailable for England after expressing his disappointment at being played out of position, as he revealed in a radio interview in 2007: “I’ve never really played centre-half for England and, to be honest, I’ve never really played that well for England because I’ve  played a lot of the time at full-back.

“If Steve McClaren’s chosen people ahead of me then I don’t think anyone can really complain if I would rather concentrate and save myself for Liverpool games.”

Carragher has been outspoken about his England career since quitting the international scene, making the following comments in his autobiography: “I confess: defeats wearing an England shirt never hurt me in the same way as losing with my club.

“I wasn’t uncaring or indifferent, I simply didn’t put England’s fortunes at the top of my priority list. Losing felt like a disappointment rather than a calamity.”

It now seems that Carragher has been persuaded to reverse that decision, due to England’s potential problems at centre-back.

John Terry’s form has been hit by his much-publicised off-the-field controversies, while his potential replacement as captain, Rio Ferdinand, has suffered from injuries all season.

Tottenham’s Ledley King has been instrumental to their recent success, but his knee problems ensure that he rarely plays more than one game per week and he has yet to represent England under Capello.

Other potential candidates such as Wes Brown and Joleon Lescot are also injured, while Michael Dawson and Gary Cahill remain uncapped.

The final squad of 23 will be named on June 1, but any subsequent seriously injured players can be replaced up to 24 hours before England’s World Cup opener and do not have to have been named in the original 30-man provisional squad.

England also have selection headaches in central midfield, following the injury to Gareth Barry, with the likes of Michael Carrick, Tom Huddlestone, Scott Parker and Owen Hargreaves ready to deputise, should the Manchester City player fail to recover for the World Cup.

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Ferguson hails Evans deal

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Jonny EvansJonny Evans has been described as a future leader of Manchester United (United 11/5 Premiership Outright 2010/2011) by boss Sir Alex Ferguson after he signed a new four-year deal at Old Trafford.

The Northern Ireland international defender has figured heavily in the Red Devils’ current campaign due to a myriad of respective injury problems to the first-choice pairing of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

And Ferguson is delighted to tie him down to a long-term contract as he feels Evans will eventually go on to captain the side in the coming seasons.

“Jonny has signed a new deal,” said Ferguson.

“We have been working on it for a few months now and I am happy that he has signed it.”

United still have a chance of winning this season’s Premier League title (7/1 Outright) but they must defeat Stoke City in their final match of the campaign at Old Trafford (United 1/9, Stoke 16/1, draw 7/1 90 Minutes) on Sunday and hope Chelsea slip up at home to Wigan (Chelsea 1/10, Wigan 20/1, draw 7/1 90 Minutes).

Ferguson feels the week that United lost at home to Chelsea in between crashing out of the Champions League on away goals over two legs against Bayern Munich will be the key period of the season that cost United if they fail to retain their league crown this weekend.

“It was a bad week for us and it might have cost us everything,” said Ferguson.

“The biggest disappointment was the European Cup. It is an absolute travesty because we were the better team.”

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