Owen and Hakan Sükür in doubt

Hakan Sükür limps off
Turkey forward Hakan Sükür limped off during the second half of Galatasaray SK's 4-3 win against Akçaabat Sebatspor on Saturday and left the stadium with an ice pack on his right knee. The 32-year-old said: "I'm angry and frustrated because I know how much this game means to the Turkish people. I'll do everything in my power to make sure I'm fit for the match."

Owen has '50-50 chance'
Meanwhile, England's Michael Owen has been given only a 50-50 chance of playing in the Group 7 qualifier in Istanbul after injuring his shin during Liverpool FC's 2-1 defeat by Arsenal FC on Saturday. The Merseyside club's website said on Sunday: "This morning's MRI scan confirmed there is no damage to his ankle or knee but showed he has suffered a split in the lining between the fibula and tibia bones in his lower right leg. He is currently rated at 50-50 for this weekend's England match in Istanbul."

Tuesday squad announcement
Liverpool went on to say that Owen would receive intensive treatment and join up with his England colleagues on Tuesday - the day England coach Sven-Göran Eriksson is now due to announce his squad.

Yakin doubt
Switzerland playmaker Hakan Yakin's participation in his country's Group 10 qualifier against Republic of Ireland is also in doubt after he picked up an ankle injury, his club FC Basel said on Saturday. Yakin was substituted at half-time during Basel's 3-1 win at Neuchâtel Xamax FC on Thursday, and has since had his ankle heavily strapped following treatment.

'Thirty per cent chance'
Yakin's doctor Heinz Bühlmann told Swiss daily Blick that his patient's chances of facing the Irish at Saint Jakob Park are no better than 30 per cent. "Yakin must have his ankle taped until at least Monday," Bühlmann said. "At the earliest, it will be Tuesday when he can run in training."

Danish worries
Elsewhere, Peter Løvenkrands of Rangers FC has been called up as a replacement for the injured Ebbe Sand for Denmark's crucial Group 2 match against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Coach Morten Olsen has also drafted in FC København defender Martin Albrechtsen because of worries over René Henriksen's fitness and goalkeeper Thomas Sørensen is also doubtful because of a back injury.

Smertin injury
Russia could be without Alexei Smertin for the home qualifier against Georgia. Smertin limped out of Portsmouth FC's home defeat by Charlton Athletic FC on Saturday and his national team doctor, Yuri Vasilkov, said: "Alexei has damaged his knee, but we hope he will be back training as early as Wednesday. However, this will depend on how the recovery goes in the next two days."

Triple blow for Scots
Scotland have suffered a triple injury blow ahead of their must-win qualifier against Lithuania. Leicester City FC striker Paul Dickov, Watford FC midfielder Paul Devlin and Southampton FC winger Neil McCann all have injuries and could miss out. Bradford City FC's Andy Gray will replace Dickov.

Poland call-up
The Groclin Grodzisk Wielkopolski forward Andrzej Niedzielan has joined Poland's squad to face Hungary as a replacement for Pawel Kryszalowicz, who is not expected to be fit enough to play. "It's an honour to be in the squad," Niedzielan said.

Petrov sidelined
Finally, VfL Wolfsburg forward Martin Petrov is out of Bulgaria's qualifier against Croatia after undergoing a toe operation on Thursday. Petrov will be sidelined for six to eight weeks, however coach Plamen Markov, whose side have already qualified for next year's finals in Portugal, will not be calling up a replacement.