Bulgaria captain Dimitar Berbatov will miss Bulgaria's Group 8 world cup qualifier against Ireland on the 28th of March after suffering an ankle knock. The injury came during Manchester United clash with Fulham on Saturday afternoon.
"Dimitar's got a good crack on his ankle. There's some swelling there. We'll have a look in the morning. Bulgaria will have to miss Dimitar Berbatov," Manchester United Assistant Manager Mike Phelan told the BBC.
The Bularian football team doctor has ruled out any chance of Berbatov joining the squad for the Ireland clash.
“In no way can this happen. The injury will stop him from playing football for at least two weeks. Most probably this is about his old ankle problems, which have aggravated despite the measures that have been taken,” Mihail Ilev told the Bulgarian National TV channel.
The Bulgarians' new manager, Stanimir Stoilov, is facing an uphill battle as he will also be without Manchester City winger Martin Petrov, who is still recovering from a surgery.
Stoilov is yet to announce Berbatov's replacement.
Bulgaria are third in Group Eight with three points from three matches. They will be desperate to avoid defeat in Dublin as a defeat would leave them 10 points behind Ireland, and make a massive dent in their hopes of reaching the finals in South Africa.
Bulgaria are up against Ireland on 28 March at Croke Park and Cyprus four days later.
Giovanni Trapattoni has named 26 players in an initial squad for the forthcoming World Cup Group 8 qualifiers, of which 23 will be selected for the matches against Bulgaria on 28 March and Italy on 1 April.
The only addition to the party announced for last month's 2-1 win over Georgia is uncapped Celtic defender Darren O'Dea, who scored for his club in their CIS League Cup final victory over arch-rivals Rangers yesterday.
Speaking after he announced the squad, the Italian coach told reporters: 'So far in this group, Bulgaria have drawn all of their three World Cup qualifying matches. I have no doubt they will be invigorated by the appointment of their new manager, Stanimir Stoilov, and they will come to Croke Park looking for a win to kick-start their World Cup qualifying campaign.'
'Bulgaria have a strong tradition of football in their country with many well known players in their squad so we are under no illusion as to the task that awaits us on 28 March. This game represents a real opportunity to open a significant gap at the top of the table in Group 8.
For the next six months we will be playing away so strong support in this last home game until October will be vital. Every point gained will be valuable in the race to qualify for South Africa.'
Goalkeepers:
Shay Given, Dean Kiely, Kieren Westwood
Defenders:
Alex Bruce, Damien Delaney, John O'Shea, Kevin Foley, Paul McShane, Richard Dunne, Stephen Kelly, Stephen Finnan, Kevin Kilbane & Darren O'Dea.
Midfielders:
Aiden McGeady, Damien Duff, Darron Gibson, Glenn Whelan, Keith Andrews, Liam Miller, Stephen Hunt & Andy Keogh.
Forwards:
Caleb Folan, Kevin Doyle, Robbie Keane, Shane Long & Noel Hunt.
