11.09. (Wed) 00:00 Uruguay - Colombia

Colombia could book their place at next year's World Cup if they avoid defeat to Uruguay at Estadio Centenario on Tuesday.

A 1-0 win over 10-man Ecuador on Friday guaranteed Jose Pekerman's side a place in the AFC-Conmebol play-offs at the very worst.

Despite having a one-man advantage for a majority of the game, Colombia were made to work hard for their seventh-consecutive home win and had James Rodriguez to thank for what proved to be a decisive first-half strike.

The result leaves Colombia on the verge of qualifying for their first World Cup since 1998.

Speaking after the game, Peckerman said:  "I feel that Colombia won fairly, did important things, took on the role, overcame the difficulties and won well against a very good team.

"Colombia needs to go to the World Cup. We are not there yet, but we've taken a giant step."

Many onlookers will undoubtedly be looking forward to watching two of the biggest names in world football going head-to-head, as Radamel Falcao and Luis Suarez both take to the field.

Despite a ban ruling him out of the start of the new Premier League season, Suarez put in a talismanic performance for Uruguay as they picked up a vital 2-1 win over Peru in Lima on Friday - although he once again courted controversy.

The Liverpool striker scored from the spot after going over in the penalty area under minimal contact, before his theatrical tumble led to Victor Yotun's red card prior to his emphatic winning strike.

That result left Oscar Tabarez's side with a tightened grip on fifth place, with only two points separating them from Ecuador in fourth - the final automatic qualifying spot.

Despite suffering a 4-0 defeat in the reverse fixture, history appears to favour Uruguay, who have not lost a competitive home match to Tuesday's opponents since 1973.

Colombia will also be aware that no team has managed to come away from Uruguay with three points since October 2009.

10.09. (Tue) 20:45 Austria - Ireland

Republic of Ireland and Austria go head-to-head on Tuesday night with both sides desperate for the three points that will give their World Cup 2014 qualification hopes a massive boost.

Both sides are currently level on 11 points in Group C, three points behind second-placed Sweden, who came away with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Giovanni Trapattoni's side in Dublin on Friday.

Austria, meanwhile, go into the game in Vienna on the back of a 3-0 defeat to runaway leaders Germany.

A place in the play-off round for Brazil 2014 is still possible for both sides, but both need three points from the clash at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion to keep their hopes of catching Sweden alive.

Ireland's task will be made all the more difficult by the fact that  they have not won a competitive fixture in Austria since 1958, but Marcel Koller's men had to rely on a late David Alaba equaliser to secure a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture in Dublin in March. 

10.09. (Tue) 20:45 Wales - Serbia

Wales and Serbia meet in Cardiff on Tuesday after both sides saw their World Cup qualification chances end on Friday.
Wales' slim hopes of reaching Brazil 2014 finished with a 2-1 loss to Macedonia in Skopje, while Serbia were held 1-1 by second-placed Croatia in Belgrade.

Those results leave Wales second-bottom of Group A while Serbia sit in third place, some nine points adrift of Croatia with just two games remaining.

The last meeting between the sides in Novi Sad last September ended in the hosts running out emphatic 6-1 winners.
Wales' goalscorer on that occasion, Gareth Bale, completed his £86 million transfer from Tottenham to Real Madrid last week but was not fit to play for his country in Macedonia due to a foot injury.

And while the 24-year-old will not start the match against Serbia at the Cardiff City Stadium, Wales manager Chris Coleman has revealed his star man may be able to make a substitute appearance.

"He's never going to be ready to start, it's as simple as that," he told BBC Sport.

"The fact he's turned up and is trying to be fit for us is such a huge positive and if he's ready then he may play a part.

"We'll see how he reacts between now and Tuesday."

Sinisa Mihajlovic's side, meanwhile, will be hoping for a win to secure third place in the group and a favourable seeding for the 2016 European Championships qualifying campaign.

However, they will not be able to call on midfielder Nemanja Matic as he is suspended after being sent off against Croatia. 

10.09. (Tue) 20:45 Ukraine - England

Group H leaders England can take a huge step towards World Cup qualification if they can see off the threat of Ukraine on Tuesday.

Roy Hodgson's side, who are level with Montenegro on 15 points but ahead on goal difference, ran out 4-0 winners against Moldova on Friday and they remain the only unbeaten side in the Group H.

But Ukraine, who hammered San Marino 9-0, are only a point behind and they will sense an opportunity to overhaul their visitors in Kiev.

England have problems up front, too, with Wayne Rooney (head), Daniel Sturridge (thigh) and Danny Welbeck (suspended) all consigned to a watching brief.

That leaves Southampton's Rickie Lambert as their main threat and his international career has got off to a flying start, with two goals in as many games.

Hodgson has experience to call on in other areas of the pitch, though, and he has cited Manchester City midfielder James Milner as a key player for the tricky trip to eastern Europe.

"We know what James will do," Hodgson said. "He isn't, and doesn't pretend to be, as exciting as some of the wingers we sometimes use these days.

"After a long period of time where I've not seen many wingers in the country, I'm now seeing lots of them. But we are going to need experience in Kiev. Milner is not a winger, but the qualities he brings could be very useful."

England will need to break a pattern that has emerged during their qualifying campaign if they are to earn some breathing space at the top of the group. On each of the previous three occasions that they have won, they have followed it up with a draw.

They are, however, the group's top scorers, with a commanding 25-goal tally from their seven games, with Ukraine's 19-goal haul the next-best total.

Ukraine are enjoying an excellent run of form, with 15 goals and four clean sheets from their last four matches.

Mykhaylo Fomenko's men were impressive against England at Wembley last September, when it took Frank Lampard's late penalty to deny them all three points following Yevhen Konoplyanka's first-half opener.

They will be eager to lay to rest bitter memories of their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, which ended in disappointment after they finished runners-up to England.

Despite qualifying for the play-offs, they were beaten 1-0 on aggregate by Greece, denying them the chance to try to better their performance at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where they reached the quarter-finals.

10.09. (Tue) 20:30 FYR Macedonia - Scotland

Macedonia will have their sights set on third spot in Group A as they seek to end their home qualifying campaign with a win over Scotland.
Cedomir Janevski's men have three games left but Tuesday's visit of the group's bottom side signals their final match on home soil.

The 2014 World Cup in Brazil is already beyond their reach but third-placed Serbia are just one point ahead, having played a game more.

Macedonia are fresh from Friday's 2-1 victory over Wales, their fifth win in six games at their national stadium.
Ivan Trickovski and Aleksandar Trajkovski were on target as Gareth Bale, the world's most expensive player, remained on the bench for the visitors.

The result saw Scotland slip to the foot of Group A, as they were overcome 2-0 by a superior Belgium side at Hampden Park, with Macedonia moving up two places.

And Scotland manager Gordon Strachan admitted that the Belgians were simply too good a proposition for his side.

"That's the best team we've played since I took over," he said. "Belgium were magnificent.

"It was like a heavyweight boxer up against a flyweight. They've got speed, height, strength - and we don't."

Scotland come into this game having only won once during their campaign, and Strachan will be keen to rectify that in order to avoid finishing at the bottom of the group.

Macedonia are sure to pose a challenge, though, as they look for their third straight international victory.

The two sides played out a well-contested 1-1 draw when they met at Hampden Park last September, after Kenny Miller cancelled out Nikolce Noveski's early opener.

10.09. (Tue) 13:00 South Korea - Croatia

South Korea will go in search of revenge when they take on Croatia in a friendly on Tuesday.

Igor Stimac's side thumped the Taegeuk Warriors the last time the two sides clashed back in Februrary, powering to a 4-0 win at Craven Cottage thanks to goals from Mario Mandzukic, Darijo Srna, Nikica Jelavic and Mladen Petric.

However, South Korea have since qualified for World Cup 2014, with the 2002 semi-finalists progressing to the tournament in Brazil despite a 1-0 defeat to Iran in their final game in June.

Hong's side will also have home advantage on their side for the game at the Jeonju World Cup stadium and face a Croatia team that has struggled for consistency in recent times.

Stimac's charges are five points adrift of Belgium in their qualification group and appear set to face a play-off for a place in the finals after their 1-1 draw with Serbia on Friday.

That result made it just three wins from six for Croatia, with a defeat against Scotland - who have already been eliminated from the World Cup - in June underlining their current problems.

10.09. (Tue) 12:20 Japan - Ghana

Ghana travel to Japan for an international friendly on Tuesday following their crucial World Cup qualifying victory over Zambia.

Kwesi Appiah's side went into the crucial match in Kumasi one point ahead of their visitors knowing that anything other than a defeat would take them through to the third stage of the CAF qualifying section for Brazil 2014.

Ghana, whose only defeat in Group D came in the reverse fixture against the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations champions, secured a narrow 2-1 win as Abdul Waris and Kwadwo Asamoah gave them a two-goal lead before Emmanuel Mbola pulled one back for the visitors.

But while Ghana have another stage of qualifying to go through to seal their place in next year's showpiece, Japan were the first side to reach Brazil 2014 after their 1-1 draw with Australia on June 4.

Japan's latest fixture came in a friendly against Guatemala at Nagai Stadium on Friday and goals from Keisuke Honda, Masato Kudo and Yasuhito Endo swept aside Sergio Pardo's side.
And following his side's 3-0 win, coach Alberto Zaccheroni called on the team to keep up their level of intensity in their next matches.

"We put good pressure on our opponents, particularly in midfield, while keeping our backline high. Our forwards pressed their opponents well, too, which kept Guatemala from moving up-field," he said.

"I hope we can continue doing that against other, high-ranked opponents in our upcoming games."

His Ghanaian counterpart Appiah was also in a content mood after his team's vital victory over Zambia.

"We needed to either get a win or get a draw and the most important thing our aim was to try and get a win which I think the players did very well," he explained.

"Zambia have got a very good team and it was not going to be easy game and we saw that."

Since earning qualification for the World Cup, Japan have been inconsistent as they have beaten nations such as Korea Republic, Australia and Iraq, but succumbed to three losses at the FIFA Confederations Cup.

Ghana, on the other hand, have lost only twice in their last nine matches.

International Opta Facts (UK teams) – September 10

Macedonia v Scotland
Macedonia and Scotland have a perfectly even record in previous clashes, winning one apiece with one draw.
Macedonia collected a 1-0 victory in their one previous home clash against Scotland, back in qualification for the 2010 World Cup.
The Red Lynx have won five and lost just one of their last six home internationals.
Aleksandar Trajkovski has scored a goal inside the final 10 minutes of each of Macedonia's last two internationals.
No team has been shown more yellow cards in European World Cup qualification than Macedonia (23).
Scotland have lost four of their last five internationals.

Wales v Serbia
Serbia's 6-1 hammering of Wales in Novi Sad back in September 2012 came in their first meeting against Chris Coleman's side as an independent nation, although they did do the double over them as Serbia and Montenegro back in qualification for Euro 2004.
Wales have conceded more goals from outside the box than any other European side qualifying for the 2014 World Cup (six).
Gareth Bale has scored four of Wales' seven goals in World Cup 2014 qualifications.
Serbia have lost three consecutive away internationals; they have never lost four in a row as an independent nation.
Indeed, the White Eagles have won none and lost four of their last five competitive away games.
Just one of Wales' last 48 international games has ended in a draw.

Austria v Republic of Ireland
Austria have won four and lost just one of seven competitive meetings with Ireland (D2).
In six previous away games against Austria, Ireland have won none, lost five and conceded 19 goals, scoring just twice themselves.
In each of the last three games that Austria have scored in, Bayern Munich defender David Alaba has been one of the scorers.
After defeat to Germany in their opening home game, Das Team have won three consecutive qualifiers in Vienna, scoring 12 in the process.
Ireland have scored just one goal in their last four away games combined (D3 L1).

Luxembourg v Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland have won one and drawn one of two previous internationals against Luxembourg.
Luxembourg have won just one of their last 13 internationals (D3 L8).
Aurélien Joachim has scored in two consecutive internationals for the Red Lions.
The Red Lions have only won five home games in all competitions since 1995, and all four have ended 2-1.
Michael O'Neill's side have won just one of their last 15 internationals, drawing five and losing nine.
On the road, Norn Iron have not won a game since September 2010, when they won 1-0 in Slovenia (D3 L7).
Northern Ireland have been caught offside more often than any other team in European World Cup qualification this time around (33).

Ukraine v England
This will be England's seventh meeting with Ukraine, and their third already under Roy Hodgson. The Three Lions have won four and lost just one of their previous six (D1).
England's only away game in Ukraine ended in defeat (excluding neutral venues), however, though Fabio Capello's side had already qualified for the 2010 World Cup when they lost there in October 2009.
England have only lost one of their last 13 competitive away games (excluding neutral venues), but that defeat came in Ukraine (W9 D3).
The Three Lions have found the net in 15 of their last 16 competitive away games, but once again the blank in this run came in Ukraine (0-1).
Injured striker Wayne Rooney has netted in each of England's last three World Cup qualifiers on the road and also netted in England's last away friendly in Brazil.
Roy Hodgson's side have found the net in 29 of their last 30 internationals in all competitions, with the exception being a 0-0 draw with Italy in Euro 2012 that ended in a penalty shootout defeat.
Excluding that shootout defeat, England have not lost a competitive game since the 2010 World Cup hammering by Germany (W11 D8).
Roy Hodgson has, however, seen his side alternate between a win and a draw in their last nine competitive fixtures. For this run to continue, this game must end level.
Frank Lampard could make his 100th international appearance in this game, becoming the eighth player to reach the milestone.
Since Lampard's debut in 1999, 99 different players have debuted for the Three Lions.
Ukraine have won seven and lost none of their last eight internationals, keeping four consecutive clean sheets and conceding just two in total in this run.

07.09. (Sat) 21:15 Brazil - Australia

Brazil have been weakened by injuries but their depth should still mean they are good enough to overcome Australia on Saturday.

Full-back Dani Alves (knee) and striker Hulk (thigh) have been ruled out of the clash, while the Socceroos are missing star forward Tim Cahill (ankle).

The Confederations Cup holders are also preparing for a friendly against Portugal and may start with a more experimental line-up against Australia - although they are still likely to control proceedings from the off.

Scolari's men have only lost twice this year – including a 1-0 defeat against Switzerland last time out – as they prepare for the World Cup.

Barcelona star Neymar is fit to lead the attack for Felipao's men, while Alves' absence means Maicon may start at right-back with David Luiz and Thiago Silva to command the back four.

Even if some of their bigger names are rested with an eye to the Portugal clash, Brazil are likely to send Saturday's opponents a warning about what to expect from a top side at the World Cup.
Australia have friendlies against the Selecao and France as their next two clashes in what is an ideal build-up to the 2014 finals.

Australia coach Holger Osieck will learn plenty about where his team sits and has named close to a full-strength squad for the encounter in Brasilia.

The Socceroos defence will be tested by a star-studded Brazil side, so Osieck is likely to start his preferred back four in Luke Wilkshire, Lucas Neill, Sasa Ognenovski and Matt McKay.

Under the German, the Socceroos have shown they are capable of sitting back and getting results, highlighted by their 1-1 draw in Japan in a qualifier in June.

With Cahill injured, Josh Kennedy is likely to get a start up front, while Central Coast striker Mitchell Duke, who impressed at the East Asian Cup, may also get an opportunity.

07.09. (Sat) 04:30 Peru - Uruguay

Uruguay welcomed eight of their European-based players into the squad on Monday ahead of the weekend’s World Cup qualifier in Peru.

Among those who arrived were Diego Godin, Alvaro Pereira and Diego Perez as Oscar Tabarez prepares his side for the crucial match in Lima.

Uruguay currently occupy fifth spot, which would leave them having to compete in a two legged play-off with a qualifier from the Asian section - Jordan or Uzbekistan.

Tabarez has one of the world’s strongest forward lines at his disposal with the trio of Edinson Cavani, Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez all available.

The coach should benefit from all three being fully focused, with Cavani having moved to Paris Saint-Germain early in the summer and Suarez still at Liverpool despite speculation about a move during the transfer window.

Uruguay will be hoping for a repeat of the reverse fixture, when goals from Suarez, Maxi Pereira, Cristian Rodriguez and Sebastian Eguren handed them a 4-2 victory.

Tabarez acknowledged the enormity of the game as the qualification process heads towards a conclusion.

“Victory will be a great result for us,” he said.

“If it’s a draw, that benefits us. If we win, I think we will draw a significant advantage because after that there are only three games left.”

Peru currently sit seventh in the standings, just two points behind Uruguay with four games remaining.

Yordy Reyna and Carlos Zambrano were the last players to join up with Sergio Markarian’s squad in Lima, and Reyna was quick to underline his willingness to help the team.

“This game we have to win because we are playing at home,” he said.

“I will contribute to the team when they need me.”

Winger Paolo Hurtado, of Pacos de Ferreira, echoed the sentiments of Reyna.

“The match against Uruguay will be very difficult but we will go above and beyond for the three points,” he said.

“I feel great. If I play or not, that will be determined by the coach, but I always come prepared to play for Peru.”

07.09. (Sat) 04:00 Costa Rica - USA

Costa Rica is out for revenge.

The Ticos (3-2-1) have come up short in both of their meetings with the United States (4-1-1) in recent months, losing 1-0 in World Cup qualifying and the Gold Cup group stage, and the former especially sticks in the craw of fans in the Central American country.

In the middle of a snow storm, a first-half goal from Clint Dempsey was enough to seal all three vital Hexagonal points for the Yanks. Costa Rica later appealed the result, with coach Jorge Luis Pinto calling it "an embarrassment to football." That appeal was denied by Fifa.

The failed appeal has only bolstered the feeling of injustice felt by Costa Ricans, who have taken to hyperbole and petty gamesmanship ahead of the match.

Where U.S. men's national team players were previously given priority immigration status and private travel transitions, they now had to wait in line with everybody else, and walk to their bus surrounded by enraged locals yelling "USA, no fair play!" The Costa Rican FA failed to provide the U.S. team with game balls for training, and left the Yanks to find their own practice facility after the three recommended sites refused the Stars and Stripes. Newspaper Al Dia printed a picture of U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann arriving at the airport with the caption "los sentimos Jurgen, no hay nieve" (sorry Jurgen, no snow).

The off-field sideshow has somewhat overshadowed the facts. The top two teams in the Hex can book their tickets to Brazil with good weeks - Costa Rica for the first time since 2002.

A win in San Jose means the U.S. are guaranteed at least a play-off against New Zealand. An additional win against Mexico in Columbus and the U.S. will have qualified. Costa Rica are not quite as well off, but a win against the USA would put them at the top of the table, with a game on Tuesday against basement boys Jamaica while the U.S. slugs it out with Mexico.

The biggest injury concern for the U.S. is red-hot striker Jozy Altidore. Having scored in six straight U.S. appearances, he did not fully participate in training on Wednesday despite being cleared by U.S. medical staff. If he is unable to play on Friday, Klinsmann will have to decide whether he wants to play one of stalwarts Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey (set for his 100th cap) out of position, or start one of Eddie Johnson or Aron Johannsson.

06.09. (Fri) 21:00 England - Moldova

England will be hopeful of a big victory against Moldova to build momentum ahead of next week's crucial 2014 World Cup qualifier away to Ukraine.

Roy Hodgson's men welcome Moldova to Wembley on Friday and are expected to record a resounding victory against the minnows.

England are unbeaten in their last six matches but are still in danger of missing next year's World Cup in Brazil.

They sit second in Group H, two points behind Montenegro with a game in hand, while Ukraine are snapping at their heels in third, just one point further back.
With the side who finishes first automatically qualifying, and the second being sent into the play-offs, Tuesday's qualifier in Kiev is particularly important.

And because of that England will look to win well against Moldova to boost their confidence.

Hodgson has selected a typically strong squad, with captain Steven Gerrard set to lead the team alongside the likes of goalkeeper Joe Hart and attacker Theo Walcott.

England do have a series of injury problems though, with Wayne Rooney (cut head) withdrawing from the squad, along with Liverpool's Glen Johnson and Manchester United's Phil Jones.

In-form striker Daniel Sturridge is also in the squad but is in doubt due to groin pain. Sturridge has scored five goals in his four matches for Liverpool this season.

Arsenal's Jack Wilshere is expected to be fit despite following stomach cramps last week, while Cardiff defender Steven Caulker could win his second cap after being called up as cover.

Moldova - ranked joint-123rd in the world, more than 100 places below England - will enter the match on the back of a three-match unbeaten run.

An excellent 1-1 home draw to Poland in Group H was followed by a 2-1 friendly win over Kyrgyzstan.

They also drew 1-1 at home to Andorra last month in another friendly thanks to Alexandru Dedov's equaliser.

They are expected to line up with a 4-5-1 formation and play for a point, but England should have too much quality for them.

The two sides last met in last September's reverse fixture, with England winning 5-0 in Chisinau.

Frank Lampard scored a double in that fixture, while Jermain Defoe, James Milner and Leighton Baines also netted.

England have won all three meetings between the two sides, with their last clash at Wembley ending in a 4-0 win to England in September 1997.

06.09. (Fri) 21:00 Scotland - Belgium

Scotland will be hoping to continue the progress made under new manager Gordon Strachan when they face Belgium on Friday.

The Scots' chances of making it to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil have long since disappeared after a disastrous start to their qualifying campaign that cost former manager Craig Levein his job.

The former Dundee United boss was relieved of his duties in November after overseeing a run that sent Scotland slumping to the bottom of Uefa qualifying Group A.

Strachan subsequently took over as national team boss in January, following a spell out of the game.

And having already sown the first seeds of recovery with a shock 1-0 victory in Croatia and a creditable performance in a narrow 3-2 defeat to England last month, Strachan's arrival appears to be having the desired effect.

"I see it in him at every training session," said Norwich forward Robert Snodgrass ahead of Friday's qualifier against Belgium.

"He tells us, 'Listen, you are good enough to do this – or you wouldn't have been picked. I'm picking you because I believe in you.'

"Mentally and physically, we prepare for a game. You have to believe you can get a result. That’s the only way.

"There is [the conviction] that, when Scotland are going in against these big sides, we can genuinely get a result against them."

Strachan has added four players to his squad for the clash, following the withdrawals of James Morrison, Graham Dorrans, Allan McGregor and George Boyd.

The quartet have been replaced by midfield trio Craig Bryson, Chris Burke and Kevin Thomson, as well as defender Lee Wallace.

For the visitors, Chelsea's Eden Hazard missed training on Tuesday with an Achilles problem and faces a battle to be fit.

The 22-year-old midfielder sat out the session as a precaution, although he is still expected to feature in Friday's game.

Belgium arrive as a team in form, having strung together a run of six games unbeaten - stretching back to November last year.

Goals from Christian Benteke and Vincent Kompany led the table-toppers to a 2-0 win in the reverse fixture back in October, and Marc Wilmots' men will expect to maintain their march towards qualification for the finals, with Croatia also chasing top spot in the group.

06.09. (Fri) 20:45 Ireland - Sweden

With both teams locked level on points in Group C, the clash between the Republic of Ireland and Sweden represents a must-win encounter for both sides.

While Germany lead the group, Austria, Sweden and Ireland are vying for the coveted play-off spot, each team level on 11 points, with Austria occupying second place due to their superior goal difference.

Ireland have history on their side, having not lost at home to Sweden since 1949, when they were beaten 3-1 in a 1950 World Cup qualifier at Dalymount Park. The last meeting between the sides in Dublin resulted in a 3-0 victory for the Irish, with goals from Damien Duff, Robbie Keane and Liam Miller securing the win.
Sweden's form away from home during this campaign has been inconsistent. Despite showing tremendous resilience to stage a comeback in the dramatic 4-4 draw against Germany in Berlin, the Swedes were beaten 2-1 by Austria in Vienna in June.

However, Erik Hamren's side will be comforted by the fact that Ireland's home form of late has also been questionable, with the Boys in Green suffering their worst ever home defeat in October 2012 - a 6-1 loss against group leaders Germany.

Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni has been handed an injury boost as Marc Wilson and first-choice goalkeeper David Forde have both regained fitness ahead of the clash with Sweden, while captain and talisman Robbie Keane also returns to the squad.

Queens Park Rangers centre back Richard Dunne is expected to make his first competitive international appearance since featuring against Italy at Euro 2012 14 months ago. John O'Shea is expected to partner the defender in the heart of defence as Trapattoni seeks to shackle Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

In the absence of Aiden McGeady, Norwich City winger Anthony Pilkington could be in line to make his first senior appearance for the Boys in Green after shaking off a knee injury, while James McCarthy is likely to partner Glenn Whelan in midfield.

Rasmus Elm is the most notable absentee for Erik Hamren's side ahead of this crucial Group C clash, while Anders Granqvist will miss the game through suspension.

Johan Elmander is expected to partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic in attack, while Spartak Moscow midfielder Kim Kallstrom returns to the squad after missing August's 4-2 friendly victory over Norway.

06.09. (Fri) 20:45 Italy - Bulgaria

Italy can move a step closer to the World Cup in Brazil with victory over Bulgaria in Palermo on Friday.

Cesare Prandelli's are four points clear of this week's second-placed opponents in Group B, with the pair unbeaten so far in their campaign.

Wins against Bulgaria on Friday and the Czech Republic on Tuesday would put the Azzurri on the brink of a place in Brazil where they can make amends for their poor showing in South Africa three years ago where they failed to win a match and were eliminated at the group stage.

Prandelli, who will be without key trio Mario Balotelli, Pablo Daniel Osvaldo and Riccardo Montolivo due to suspension, is concerned Bulgaria could be in better shape than his side since the domestic season in the eastern European nation began several weeks ago.

"I am worried, above all, about the physical conditions," he said on Monday.

"Bulgaria is in good shape, they can give us some problems. We have to contrast Bulgaria with lots of quality in the middle of the field and with lots of running along the touchlines.

"Bulgaria are in good physical condition, it will be a difficult match and historically we have always had problems in September.  The message is thinking about winning these two matches before talking about the World Cup."

Italy stalwart Gianluigi Buffon could equal the all-time appearance record of 136 caps for his country against Bulgaria at the Stadio Renzo Barbera.

The Juventus keeper was part of the side that won the World Cup on penalties in 2006 and he believes representing his country means as much now as it did when he made his debut back in 1997.

"There is a sense of honour when you represent your country," he explained.

"You understand that with time, with maturity. Every appearance with the national side is not just a game, but something more.

"I personally would not turn down a call-up. It would be like spitting in the face of good fortune, something that so many people want but only a few have the chance to experience."

In contrast, Bulgaria boss Lyuboslav Penev has called up uncapped goalkeeper Georgi Kitanov into his 21-man squad.

Penev has seen his side's campaign falter somewhat in recent matches, drawing four of their six qualifiers, though he will take heart from the 6-0 win over Malta in March as well as the 2-2 draw with Italy in the reverse fixture.

His side also remain in pole position to secure a play-off place, sitting a point ahead of the Czech Republic in third in Group B.