REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Brian Kerr's Republic of Ireland squad will begin to assemble in Dublin this morning with the first training session of the week scheduled for late this afternoon at Malahide United's ground. The manager said yesterday that he had no reports of injuries to the 24 players named last week for the games against France and the Faroe Islands.
And there was no suggestion from the FAI last night that anybody is expected to withdraw from the panel ahead of Thursday's departure for Paris.
Stephen Elliott, however, has pulled out of Don Givens's under-21 squad for the European championship qualifying match against the France in Troyes on Friday evening. He will be replaced by Gary Mulligan of Wolves.
ENGLAND: Michael Owen will be fit for the World Cup qualifier against Wales in Manchester on Saturday. England's medical staff will assess Owen when the squad meets up today after the striker was injured playing for Real Madrid on Sunday but Sven-Goran Eriksson is confident of his recovery.
"Michael has a slight problem with his hamstring but we believe it is only a minor issue," said England's coach. "Our feeling at the moment is that it should only keep him out of one or two training sessions."
After a disappointing display in Real's 1-0 defeat against Deportivo La Coruna during which he missed two good chances, the Spanish club's coach Mariano Garcia Remon insisted Owen had been withdrawn due to a "slight muscle problem", although Owen had showed no apparent sign of discomfort and, rather than being replaced at the break, played six minutes of the second half.
NORTHERN IRELAND: Keith Gillespie has won a recall to the Northern Ireland squad after manager Lawrie Sanchez was hit by a raft of withdrawals. Paul McVeigh, George McCartney, Steve Jones and Danny Sonner have withdrawn ahead of the match in Azerbaijan on Saturday. Danny Griffin (Stockport), Chris Brunt (Sheffield Wednesday) and Steve Davis (Aston Villa) have also been called up.
SCOTLAND: Manager Berti Vogts faces a defensive crisis ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Norway and Moldova. Vogts was unable to select Lee Wilkie, Jackie McNamara, Malky Mackay, Christian Dailly and John Kennedy as well as striker Neil McCann's when he named his squad yesterday.
SCOTLAND SQUAD: Goalkeepers: Gordon (Hearts), Marshall (Celtic). Defenders: Anderson (Aberdeen), Caldwell (Hibernian), Pressley (Hearts), Webster (Hearts), Naysmith (Everton), Murray (Hibernian). Midfielders: Cameron (Wolverhampton), Ferguson (Blackburn Rovers), Fletcher (Manchester United), Holt (Norwich City), Pearson (Celtic), Quashie (Portsmouth). Strikers: Crawford (Plymouth), Dickov (Blackburn Rovers), McFadden (Everton), Miller (Wolverhampton), Thompson (Rangers).
