Trezeguet: France striker David Trezeguet will not play in the friendly against Costa Rica tomorrow but will face Germany at the weekend, the French federation said yesterday. Trezeguet, who has just recovered from a thigh injury, is unable to sit for too long time in a plane. The French squad must undertake a nine-hour flight to reach Martinique.
Forlan: Uruguay have included striker Diego Forlan in their squad for the two-leg World Cup play-off against Australia, even though his Spanish club Villarreal said last week that it was unlikely he could play. Forlan was part of a 27-man squad named by coach Jorge Fossati for the games in Montevideo on Saturday and Sydney on November 16.
Carew: Lyon striker John Carew has won Norway's player of the year award, edging out IK Start midfielder Kristofer Haestad and Blackburn Rovers' midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen. Carew, 26, has been a mainstay of Norway's attack in recent years and scored twice last week in Lyon's 4-1 Champions League victory over Olympiakos. Liverpool midfielder John Arne Riise was surprisingly omitted from the shortlist.
Woodgate: Real Madrid defender Jonathan Woodgate will be out for up to four weeks after collecting a new injury in Sunday's Primera Liga match against Real Zaragoza. The 25-year-old, who left the field after 23 minutes against Zaragoza, has torn a left thigh muscle on the back of his leg, Real said yesterday.
Barca Friendlies: Spanish champions Barcelona are to play a friendly against a joint Israeli-Palestinian side later this month to promote peace in the Middle East. The match against the Peace Team will take place at the Nou Camp on Nov. 29, the day after a two-day Euro-Mediterranean summit being held in Barcelona. According to a statement, the objectives of the game are to promote friendship, understanding and respect between the Israeli and Palestinian communities through sport.
In Italy: Serie B - Modena vs Vicenza 0-0. Serie C1 - Frosinone vs Perugia 4-1.
Division Two: Mellieha vs Gozo 3-1; Attard vs Gharghur 1-0.
¤ World no.8 Ivan Ljubicic will play at the invitational Kooyong Tennis Open next January, organisers said yesterday. Croatia's Ljubicic joins Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Tommy Haas and David Nalbandian and Guillermo Coria for the tournament in Melbourne from Jan. 11-14. Two spots remain open in the field for the round-robin tournament, which precedes the Australian Open, the year's first grand slam. Ljubicic lost the Paris Masters final to the Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych on Sunday. He has qualified for the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, which begins on Sunday.
¤ Around 80,000 seats for the 2007 Rugby World Cup were booked in the first few hours of sale over the internet, organisers said last weekend. Packages by city and by team were offered to European players, supporters and club members between Friday and Saturday. In a second phase of ticket sales, the general public will be able to buy similar packages from April 10, 2006. The 2007 RWC will be played from September 7 to October 20 in 12 cities across France, Wales and Scotland.