Terry injury blow for England

England coach Fabio Capello’s selection plans for the Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro (England 1/5, Montenegro 10/1, Draw 9/2 90 Minutes) at Wembley on Tuesday have been hit by the news defender John Terry has been forced to pull out with a back injury.

The 29-year-old Chelsea skipper appears to have suffered a recurrence of an old injury which required surgery to rectify back in 2006.

And, while it is not known how severe the injury is, Capello has sent Terry back to Stamford Bridge for treatment and the Blues will hope he will not face a lengthy absence from their bid to retain the Premier League title (Chelsea 8/13 Outright).

Terry’s absence means that Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who is making his comeback from the knee injury that ruled him out of the World Cup finals, is set to partner either Manchester City’s Joleon Lescott or Bolton’s Gary Cahill in the centre of defence for the game.

Cahill was drafted into Capello’s plans when Everton’s Phil Jagielka pulled out due to a hamstring problem, while Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing came into the reckoning when Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon withdrew with back trouble.

However, the Football Association has revealed that it will make do with the players currently available to them, despite Terry’s withdrawal.

Terry’s absence means he has only played one game for England since the World Cup – a friendly win against Hungary in August – after a hamstring injury ruled him out of the opening two Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland.

Lescott performed well in the win against the Swiss in Basle and will no doubt pip Cahill for a start alongside Ferdinand on Tuesday.

The Three Lions go into the game aiming to continue their 100% start to their qualifying campaign against a Montenegro side which tops Group G (England 1/7 Group Winner) after winning their opening three matches.

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