Petric blow keeps Croatia guessing

Mladen Petrić may miss Croatia's UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers against Estonia and Russia next month after undergoing surgery to repair a cracked cheekbone.

European angle
The 26-year-old striker fractured the bone during FC Basel 1893's 2-2 Swiss Super League draw at FC Schaffhausen on Wednesday. He was immediately booked in for an operation although the club have yet to reveal how long he will be sidelined for. Croatia are due to visit qualifying Group E rivals Estonia on 2 June before welcoming Russia to Zagreb four days later. The Super League's 19-goal leading scorer, Petrić is hoping to play UEFA Champions League football next season, provided Basel can pip FC Zürich to the title in the remaining weeks of the season.