Lampard misses Andorra game
28 Mar 2007 - 14:25:57
England midfielder Frank Lampard has been ruled out of the Euro 2008 qualifier against Andorra due to a wrist injury.
The Chelsea midfielder suffered a cracked bone in his right wrist during a training session on Monday when he was struck by a Wayne Rooney shot.
Lampard trained with the rest of the squad at Barcelona's Olympic Stadium on Tuesday wearing a protective cast, but will play no part against Andorra and could now be a doubt for key games in Chelsea's title run-in.
England coach Steve McClaren was widely expected to drop Owen Hargreaves and reunite Lampard and Liverpool's Steven Gerrard at the heart of midfield for the must-win qualifier.
But his absence could open the door for Hargreaves to return or Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick to stake a claim for a regular starting spot alongside Gerrard.
Carrick could well earn the nod due to his passing strengths, while the ball-winning skills of the Bayern Munich midfielder are not expected to be required against a side who have conceded 19 times in their four qualifying games so far.
Elsewhere, Stewart Downing is expected to step into a left-sided midfield berth with Aaron Lennon reverting to a more regular wide right role.
Ashley Cole and Micah Richards are also expected to come in for Jamie Carragher and Phil Neville at full-back, while Jermain Defoe could replace Andy Johnson alongside Rooney in attack.