Manchester United FC

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Berbatov to miss semi-final

17 Dec 2008 - 15:38:24

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Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has been ruled out of Thursday's Club World Cup semi-final against Gamba Osaka.

The Bulgaria international has picked up a virus since arriving in Japan for the tournament and will play no part against the Asian champions.

However, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is confident Wayne Rooney will be able to play in the game despite picking up a knock in training on Tuesday.

"Dimitar won't play," confirmed Ferguson.

"He's been in bed virtually since we arrived with a virus. We're not sure where it's come from, he may have picked it up on the plane.

"Wayne was injured in training on Tuesday, but I'm hopeful he'll be okay.

"(Gary) Neville, (Ryan) Giggs and (Paul) Scholes will all play. It's a big game situation so their experience will be very important.

"It's a competition we want to win and I'll be playing a strong team."

The winners of Thursday's game will play LDU Quito in Sunday's Final after the Ecuadorian side beat Pachuca 2-0.