Litmanen recovery falls short

Finland captain Jari Litmanen has failed in his bid to be fit for his country's UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifier against Wales on Wednesday.

Late fitness test
The AFC Ajax forward underwent a late fitness test after which it was decided he would not join the rest of the squad in Cardiff as his achilles problem needs more time to heal.

'Not fully fit'
"I had a discussion with Jari and we decided it was best for him not to play," said Finland coach Antti Muurinen. "The player's health is the main thing and Jari is not fully fit yet." The good news for the Finns is that RSC Anderlecht defender Hannu Tihinen is available after overcoming a calf problem.

Deisler blow
Germany are facing an injury crisis ahead of their qualifier against Scotland. Midfield player Sebastian Deisler became the latest withdrawal on Tuesday after he pulled a thigh muscle in training. Coach Rudi Voller will also be without Jens Jeremies, who has failed to recover from a knee injury, while defender Carsten Ramelow (calf) and Oliver Neuville (hip) are both doubtful.

Hutchison out
Meanwhile, Don Hutchison has been ruled out for the Scots. The West Ham United FC player has not recovered from the knee injury which kept him out of Saturday's win against the Faroe Islands and he will be joined on the sidelines by the suspended Stevie Crawford.

Carew expulsion
AS Roma forward John Carew has been excluded from Norway's squad for tomorrow's friendly against EURO 2004™ hosts Portugal after an incident with Liverpool FC's John Arne Riise. The two players had a quarrel at a training session in Drammen yesterday and on the bus back to Oslo, Carew allegedly struck his countryman.

Semb comments
Norway coach Nils Johan Semb said: "We have heard witnesses and the two players and have decided to suspend John Carew for this match." Riise himself said: "I have given John my apology and he has done the same to me. We sat together for an hour at the hotel room yesterday and talked it over." Ole Gunnar Solskjær will miss the Oslo encounter with a knee injury while Andre Bergdølmo has withdrawn for family reasons.

Zahovic doubt
Slovenia could be without playmaker Zlatko Zahovic for the Group 1 qualifier at home to France. Zahovic has a thigh strain and coach Bojan Prašnikar said: "Zlatko Zahovic has problems with his thigh muscles so his appearance in the team tomorrow is questionable."

Fifty up for Muscat
Finally, Malta goalkeeper Mario Muscat is prerparing for his 50th international appearance, which he should make on Wednesday night in his country's final Group 1 qualifier against Israel. "I am really pleased to be on the brink of chalking up my 50th appearance for my country - it's a feat to be proud of," Muscat told uefa.com. "And I hope to crown my 50th cap with a positive result. This is our last chance to get our first points [of the campaign]."