Football news

Germany striker Oliver Neuville has pulled out of Wednesday's friendly away to Austria because of a foot problem but captain Michael Ballack will join the squad despite his head injury.

Ballack needed stitches after a clash of heads in Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Portsmouth on Saturday but he remains in line to make his first international appearance since March 2007, the German FA said.

Coach Joachim Loew will not be calling up a replacement for Neuville.

Fiorentina consider Frey swap

Fiorentina said they would consider exchanging Sebastien Frey with Milan striker Alberto Gilardino in summer. The proposed switch has been reported by the Italian media over the last few months.

After being asked whether the goalkeeper could join Milan, sporting director Pantaleo Corvino admitted it could happen.

"If Frey came to us with a transfer request then we would not stand in his way," the Viola official said. "At that point, a swap deal with Milan that would see Gilardino arrive would be a good option for us."

Defoe transfer on loan

Jermain Defoe is only on loan at Portsmouth. It was thought that Defoe had signed a permanent deal from Tottenham on transfer deadline day but that is not the case.

"Defoe's transfer was done as an initial loan because of time restraints," a spokesman said.

"The full documents will be signed and registered this week and this is a standard method when you have little time."

The revelation that he is, initially, only on loan is yet another twist in the saga that leaves Benjani Mwaruwari still in limbo after his move to Manchester City ran out of time on Thursday night.

Aberdeen-Celtic in cup QF

Holders Celtic were paired with Aberdeen away in the Scottish FA Cup quarter-final draw yesterday. Celtic beat Kilmarnock 5-1 on Saturday in their fifth-round tie while Aberdeen defeated second division Hamilton Academical 1-0 with a Zander Diamond goal.

In the other quarter-final ties, second division Queen of the South face Motherwell or Dundee, Ross County or St Johnstone play St Mirren or Dundee Utd and Hibernian or Rangers take on Livingston or Partick.

The fifth round has yet to be completed because of bad weather.

Downing to commit future to Boro

Middlesbrough chief executive Keith Lamb is confident midfielder Stewart Downing will extend his stay at the club this month.

Last week, the winger's agent, Ian Elliott, had said there would be no more negotiations between the two parties over a new contract.

But Lamb said: "I believe Stewart wants to stay. We'll be sitting down in the next couple of weeks and I think the fans will be happy with the outcome."

The 23-year-old has two years remaining on his current contract.

Gullit to help Beckham

LA Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit said he will do all he can to help David Beckham win his 100th cap for England. The former England captain had hoped to reach a century of caps this week against Switzerland but Fabio Capello left him out.

Gullit, who won 66 caps for Holland, knows what 100 caps means to a player and has hinted he will take the necessary precautions to make sure Beckham is 100 per cent for future England games.

"If he wants to continue then I'll do everything I can to help," he said.

Terry captain says McClaren

Former England manager Steve McClaren believes Fabio Capello must name John Terry as his long-term captain if he wants to get the best out of the Chelsea defender. Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard will be handed the armband in Wednesday's friendly clash with Switzerland at Wembley, with Terry absent because of injury.

McClaren said: "Gerrard doesn't need to be England captain, but you get an extra 10% from Terry if he's in charge.

"I'm not saying John is less of a player when he's not captain but, since he was a kid, he's been used to being a leader on the pitch."

Adebayor... goal obsession

Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor is getting obsessed about scoring goals. He scored twice in the 3-1 victory against Manchester City and then revealed he is never satisfied with the number of goals he bangs in.

His tally for the season is now 21 goals. Adebayor scored a meagre 12 goals in comparison last season.

"I am the kind of striker who likes to score goals," Adebayor said. "If I get one, I want two. If I get two, I want three or four."

Scots... potential 2012 hosts

The Scottish FA will offer to step in to host Euro 2012 if UEFA take the tournament away from Poland and Ukraine.

UEFA in the last week have cited recent "political instability" in Poland and Ukraine as a cause for concern and have called for both countries to prove they are ready for the hosting responsibilities.

SFA chief executive Gordon Smith confirmed Scotland would be potential hosts in the event of UEFA inviting new bids for the 2012 tournament.

He said: "If Poland and Ukraine pulled out we would put Scotland forward and say we wanted to be considered for it."