Barry and Nugent earn England call

England

England's group rivals Russia have had their preparations for Saturday's trip to Estonia hit by another defensive setback. Aleksei Berezutskiy, 24, has been sidelined for a month with a broken rib, joining brother Vasili (groin) on the casualty list. One likely replacement, Denis Kolodin, is doubtful with a foot complaint, so uncapped Roman Shishkin and Aleksandr Anyukov could partner Sergei Ignashevich in the back three. Sergei Yefimov and Aleksandr Orekhov are on standby.

Emile Mpenza is out of Belgium's weekend trip to Group A rivals Portugal after the striker sustained a thigh injury during Manchester City FC's win at Middlesbrough FC on Saturday, when the 28-year-old also scored. The 23-year-old Kevin Vandenbergh from Belgian league leaders KRC Genk has been called in to deputise. "Emile's withdrawal is a real setback," admitted coach René Vandereycken.

Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has dropped out of the Netherlands squad to face Romania in Group G on Saturday as he is still recovering from a calf injury. The 36-year-old Manchester United FC player's fitness will be reassessed before the qualifier in Slovenia on 28 March. Either Maarten Stekelenburg or Henk Timmer will deputise.

Galatasaray SK midfielder Arda Turan has been counted out of Turkey's Group C double-header with Greece and Norway after being laid low for six weeks with a thigh injury sustained on Friday. The 20-year-old also has knee and ankle problems, and his absence will be a big creative loss for Turkey coach Fatih Terim.

The Republic of Ireland, meanwhile, will be deprived of Wigan Athletic FC striker Caleb Folan's services after the 24-year-old was forced to withdraw from the Group D encounters with Wales and Slovakia due to an ankle injury. Wolverhampton Wanderers FC forward Andy Keogh, 20, has been drafted in by manager Steve Staunton as a replacement.

Albania could go into their Group G visit of Slovenia without Otto Barić as the veteran coach is struggling with ill-health. The 74-year-old underwent tests on Sunday and will consult a cardiologist to examine the extent of the problem. "If the results of the tests are good, I think I will be able to travel to Tirana and join the team," said the former Croatia chief.