Di Natale knee blow hits club and country

Udinese Calcio striker Antonio Di Natale looks set to miss the UEFA Cup quarter-final against Werder Bremen next month after suffering a knee injury that will also keep him out of Italy's FIFA World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday.

Surgery decision
The 31-year-old left the pitch an hour into Italy's 2-0 victory in Montenegro on Saturday that lifted them two points clear of Ireland in Group 8, and scans have revealed ligament damage in his left knee. According to Italy team doctor Enrico Castellacci: "It's limited damage so the injury is not as bad as we first thought. Now the player will have to decide whether to opt for a conservative therapy or to undergo surgery. In that case his season would be over and he would need five or six months to be available again, but if the conservative therapy works he could return in time to play the last matches of the current season." However, he would be unlikely to be back to take on Bremen on 9 and 16 April.