Forward Nicklas Bendtner, hampered by groin problems inthe first two games, will likely play again for the Danes. With defender Simon Kjaer suspended, Per Kroldrup will likely start in the centre of defence.
 
The following players are one booking away from beingsuspended for their country's next match: goalkeeper Thomas Sorenson for the Neehrlands;midfielder Yuki Abe for Japan.

Algeria's starting goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchi has recovered from a knee injury, but Rais M'Bolhi may get the call after he shut out England. Forward Abdelkader Ghezzal is available after serving a one-match suspension.
 
Australia vs. Serbia
 
Australia will be without two key players in winger Harry Kewel and defender Craig Moore, both suspended. The news isn't all bad for the Socceroos, though -midfielder Tim Cahill is set to return after serving a one-match ban.
 
Serbia will welcome back Alexsander Lukovic from suspension.
 
The following players are one booking away from being suspended for their country's next match: defender Lucas Neill and midfielder Carl Valeri for Australia; defenders Branislav Ivanovic, Neven Subotic, Nemanja Vidic and Aleksandar Kolarov, midfielder Zdravko Kuzmanovic and striker NikolaZigic for Serbia.
 
Ghana-Germany
 
Veteran striker Miroslav Klose is banned so Cacau, who scored against Australia, will likely play up front
 
Defenders John Mensah and Issac Vorsah missed the match with Australia due to calf and knee problems, but should be able to play for Ghana against Germany.
 
The following players are one booking away from being suspended for their country's next match: defenders Issac Vorsah, Jonathan Mensah and LeeAddy, midfielder Anthony Annan and forward Prince Tagoe for Ghana; defender Philipp Lahm, midfielders Sami Khedira, MesutOezil, Bastian Schweinsteiger and forward Cacau for Germany.

Injury front: Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk is expected to stick with the same line-up that faced Denmark. Influential winger Arjen Robben trained this week as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury but likely won't see action against Japan. 

It's a wise move, but at the same time the Dutch, who were far from their best in a 2-0 win over Denmark, could benefit from his creativity. 

Suspension watch: Midfielder Nigel de Jong and winger Robin van Persie both earned yellow cards in the Netherlands' previous match. If either one receives another against Japan, he will be suspended for his country's final game of the group stage.  

Midfielder Yuki Abe is in a similar predicament for Japan.

The loss of de Jong and van Persie would be major losses for the Dutch. De Jong was a defensive bulwark in the Netherlands' 2-0 win against Denmark. His solid clean-up play allows the team's more creative midfielders to focus on their job. With the Netherlands short on outright strikers, they need van Persie in the line-up, as they don't have another attacker that matches his quality. 

Ghana vs. Australia 

Injury front: Defensive midfielder Vince Grella has been ruled out for Australia with a knee injury. 

With midfielder Tim Cahill also missing through suspension, Grella's injury is a big blow to a team needing veteran leadership, that is also trying to avoid defeat to stay alive in the competition.

Ghana defender and team captain John Mensah is in doubt after limping off the field during a recent practice session because of a chronic hamstring injury. 

Mensah is a key figure for his country, quarterbacking the defence and providing leadership and experience on the field. If he can't play, Ghana will be weaker at the back for it. 

Suspension watch: Midfielder Tim Cahill earned a red card in Australia's previous match, earning an automatic suspension for this encounter. Also, defenders Lucas Neill and Craig Moore, and midfielder Carl Valeri were cautioned against Serbia, which means they will be ruled out for Australia's final game of the first round if they pick up a yellow card against Ghana. 

Forward Prince Tagoe and defender Isaac Vorsah will miss Ghana's next game if he earns a yellow card against Australia. 

Australia will struggle without Cahill, as he anchors the midfield and is a dangerous scoring threat on set pieces and corner kicks. 

Cameroon vs. Denmark 

Injury front: Danish forwards Jon Dahl Tomasson (thigh) and Mikkel Beckmann (toe) are questionable. With the Danes still looking for their first goal of the tournament, the continued absence of Tomasson does their World Cup hopes no good. 

Suspension watch: Defender Nicolas Nkoulou earned a yellow card in Cameroon's previous match. If he receives another against Denmark, he will be suspended for his country's final game of the group stage.  Defender Simon Kjaer is in a similar predicament for Denmark. 

Kjaer is one of the brightest defensive prospects in the game today. An immaculate tackler who reads the game like a veteran, Kjaer provides the Danes with stability at the back. Denmark can't afford to lose him for their final group-stage game.

Injury front:  Germany's Bastian Schweinsteiger missed training earlier this week with a cold and is doubtful. If he can't play, coach Joachim Loew will have to reshuffle his midfield as he doesn't have another holding midfielder who can replace Schweinsteiger.

Suspension watch: Forward Cacau and midfielder Mesut Oezil earned yellow cards in Germany's previous match. If either one receives another against Serbia, he will be suspended for his country's final game of the group stage. 

Defender Aleksandar Lukovic picked up two yellow cards in Serbia's previous match, ruling him out for this game. His place will be taken by Neven Subotic.

Also, midfielder Zdravko Kuzmanovic and forward Nikola Zigic will miss Serbia's final match if they earn yellow cards against Germany.

Serbia can't afford to lose Zigic for their last game, as the tall striker is his country's best scoring threat up front, and he holds the ball well up for his striker partners.

Slovenia vs. United States

Injury front: Slovenia has no injury concerns.

American goalkeeper Tim Howard will start despite suffering bruised ribs in a collision with England's Emile Heskey in a 1-1 draw last Saturday. 

Suspension watch: Midfielders Aleksandar Radosavljevic and Andrej Komac earned yellow card in Slovenia's previous match. If either one receives another against the U.S., they will be suspended for their country's final game of the group stage.

Defenders Steve Cherundolo and Jay DeMerit, and forward Robbie Findley are in a similar predicament for the U.S. 

Cherundolo and DeMerit are both key defenders for the U.S., and the back line would be sufficiently weakened if they were absent for the U.S.'s last game of the first round.

England vs. Algeria

Injury front: Midfielder Gareth Barry will start for England, having recovered from ligament damage to his ankle suffered six weeks ago. Jamie Carragher is expected to start in place for injured defender Ledley King.

Algeria goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchi might miss out after he sprained his left knee on Tuesday.

Suspension watch: Captain Steven Gerrard and fellow midfielder James Milner, and defender Jamie Carragher earned yellow cards in England's previous match. If any one of them receives another against Algeria, they will be suspended for their country's final game of the group stage. 

Striker Abdelkader Ghezzal was sent off after picking up to yellow cards against Slovenia, which means he is ruled out for this game. If midfielder Hassan Yebda is cautioned against England, he will be suspended for Algeria's last game of the group stage.

Gerrard is not only England's captain, but its best player. He's the midfield general who commands the troops and leads the charge. The Three Lions wouldn't be the same without him

Injury front: Veteran playmaker Juan Sebastian Veron is nursing a calf injury, and might be replaced in the starting line-up by Maxi Rodriquez. 

Veron is coming off a poor outing in his country's 1-0 win over Nigeria, which leaves the door open for Rodriquez, who would give the Argentine attack a bit more bite and thrust going forward. 

Suspension watch: Jonas Gutierrez earned a yellow card in Argentina's previous match. If he receives another against South Korea, he will be suspended for his country's final game of the group stage, against Greece. South Korea doesn't have any players on a yellow card. 

The potential loss of Gutierrez would force manager Diego Maradona to reshuffle his defence and start Nicolas Burdisso instead. Gutierrez was the weak link for Argentina against Nigeria, so it might be a blessing in disguise if he picks up another yellow card. 

GREECE vs. NIGERIA 

Injury front: Left-back Taye Taiwo hurt his toe in the loss to Argentina but is fit to play. Greek defender Vangelis Moras is also available after recovering from injury.  

Suspension watch: Midfielder Lukman Haruna earned a yellow card in Nigeria's last game. If he is cautioned against Greece, he will be suspended for the Super Eagles' final game of the first round, versus South Korea. Defender Vasileios Torosidis is in similar predicament for Greece. 

Torosidis is a solid player for Greece, and though they have plenty of quality defenders, they would be slightly weaker without Torosidis. 

MEXICO vs. FRANCE 

Injury front: Mexican defender Rafael Marquez hurt his right calf muscle in the second half against South Africa, a 1-1 draw, but should start against France. 

Suspension watch: Influential winger Franck Ribery, key defender Patrice Evra and midfielder Jeremy Toulalan all earned yellow cards in France's previous match, against Uruguay. If he any one of them receives another against Mexico, they will be suspended for Les Bleus final game of the group stage. 

Midfielder Gerardo Torrado and defender Efrain Juarez earned yellow cards in Mexico's first game against South Africa. 

Ribery and Evra are key starters for France. Ribery is his country's most dangerous attacker, while Evra is a veteran defender who helps keep things tight at the back. Les Bleus can't afford to lose either player. The same can't be said for Toulalan, who struggled in France's opening match against Uruguay.

Does Eriksson throw Drogba, who broke his right arm in a recent friendly, directly into the starting 11 against Portugal?

Does he take the more cautious approach and use him strictly as a second-half substitute?

Or does he not gamble at all, and give Drogba the day off and let him rest and recuperate so he'll have a better chance of playing in his team's next match.

All good questions, but there's only one answer: expect to see Drogba in the starting line-up.

Regarded as one of the top strikers in the world, Drogba is easily the Ivory Coast's best player. And while they do have other talented strikers (Aruna Dindane and Salomon Kalou) neither one of them are as dangerous or even in the same league as Drogba.

Not only that, but Drogba provides his team with a creative spark, and he draws defenders to him, opening space for his attacking teammates to exploit.

Les Elephants need Drogba on the field, especially against a tough opponent such as Portugal, so unless his arm falls off between now and Tuesday's kick-off, the Chelsea star will take to the field with his arm in a protective cast.

Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner was already doubtful for the Danes with a groin problem, but now news has emerged that veteran striker Jon Dahl Tomasson and midfielder Daniel

Jensen could also be sitting out the match due to minor injuries.

Jensen is a useful player, but his absence can be overcome because the Danes have a great deal of midfield depth.

But the loss of Bendtner, the team's best attacking player, and Tomasson, a national team veteran, are big losses for Denmark.

Without them, coach Morten Olsen is now short of quality and proven forwards. Obviously, he has to reshuffle his starting line-up, but the question is will he take the ultimate gamble and start Christian Eriksen up front?

The 18-year-old playmaker is one of Denmark's prospects, but he has limited international experience, with only three caps to his credit.

As for the Dutch, they will be without influential winger Arjen Robben.

The Bayern Munich star has been ruled out of the game as he is still recovering from a hamstring injury.

Coach Bert van Marwijk said Robben could play, but he doesn't want to risk it, and decided to let him rest a little bit more, so that he will be fully healthy for team's second match of the tournament.

While Robben is one of the Netherlands' best players, the Dutch to have a great deal of depth on the wings, as both Robin van Persie and Eljero Elia can play on the flanks.

Argentina

Coach Diego Maradona has no injury concerns.

Nigeria

Influential midfielder John Obi Mikel was ruled out of the World Cup with a knee injury in early June.

Like Ghana's loss of captain and midfield general Michael Essien, the absence of Mikel is a crushing blow for Nigeria, both on and off the field.

Mikel's size (six-feet-two-inches) and ball handling abilities have made him a top-tier defensive midfielder, reminiscent of former Chelsea teammate Claude Makelele.

But he also boosts the attack with his solid distribution skills and on-field vision: he set up one goal and scored another in Nigeria's 2-0 win over Zimbabwe at the 2006 African Cup of Nations.

An automatic starter for Nigeria, Mikel will have to watch from the sidelines, which means the Super Eagles will now have to find someone to take his place.

None of Nigeria's bench midfielders, including Ideye Brown (the player drafted in to take Mikel's spot on the team) come close to matching the Chelsea star's quality, drive and commitment on the field.

If Altidore can't play, look for midfielder Landon Donovan to play further up the field and take a more attacking role.

South Korea

Coach Huh Jung-Moo is fortunate in that he has not injury problems to contend with.

Greece

Greek central defender Vangelis Moras has a nagging groin injury and even though he has recovered, he will sit out the game against South Korea.

Moras has been undergoing daily physiotherapy instead of training with his teammates and even though showed he is fully recovered, the Greek defender felt it was best to not play against the Asian side.

"I don't want to risk it," Moras told the Associated Press. "I want to be fit for Nigeria."

The loss of Moras is a bit of blow for Greece, because he is one of the team's best defenders.

The other problem is that Greece doesn't have a ready-made fill in. Greek coach Otto Rehhagel hasn't said who will replace Moras, but midfielder Costas Katsouranis could drop back into defence to take his spot.

South Africa

Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has a healthy squad to work with for the World Cup opener, with no player injuries to worry about.

Mexico

Mexican defender Rafael Marquez strained a muscle in his right leg during Mexico's 2-1 win over Italy in a friendly on June 3. It was feared that the FC Barcelona star might not recover in time for the game against South Africa.

But he recently returned to training and the expectation is that he will be in the starting line-up. That's good news for Mexico, as Marquez is one of the team's most experienced veterans, he can play a variety of positions (at the back and in midfield) and provides the team with solid on-field leadership. 

Striker Guillermo Franco also recently returned to training after suffering a muscle sprain in a recent friendly against England.

But coach Javier Aguirre now has a tough choice to make: does he start the 34-year-old Franco or 22-year-old Javier Hernandez?

Hernandez has scored three times in four games for his country and was recently signed by Manchester United.

Franco was a starter for Mexico at the 2006 World Cup but fell out of favour by coaches Hugo Sanchez and Sven Goran Eriksson, before being recalled by Aguirre.

Considering Franco might still be feeling the effects of the injury, look for Aguirre to start Hernandez against South Africa.

Portugal winger Nani is the latest star to have his dreams crushed - the Portuguese football federation confirmed Tuesday that the Manchester United star has failed to recover from a bruised left collarbone and is unfit to play in South Africa.

Nani picked up the injury in training on Friday in Lisbon before flying to South Africa. He will be replaced in the team by Benfica midfielder Ruben Amorim.

While not a crushing blow to Portugal, the loss of Nani does dent his team's chances of success in South Africa.

Nani, 23, is coming off a pretty good season for Manchester United in which he scored six goals in 34 appearances for the Red Devils.

His delicate touch make him a threat to score every time he touches the ball, his speed and acceleration allowing him to burn defenders.

More important, he was one of Portugal's best players in the qualifiers, scoring three goals in 11 games. His strong performances for his country couldn't have come at a better time, as Cristiano Ronaldo was far form his best, failing to score a single goal in the qualifiers.

In doing so, Nani established himself as a regular starter in the team's 4-3-3 formation, lining up behind striker Liedson and playing opposite Ronaldo on the wing.

Portugal is weaker without Nani, but the team does have other options, namely Atletico Madrid star Simao Sabrosa, who is a perfect fill in for the Man U star.

Simao was Portugal's top scorer in the qualifiers (with four goals), but his real strengths are his dribbling skills and speed, which he uses to great effect whenever he has the ball.

Nigeria's Jon Obi Mikel was ruled out of the World Cup on Saturday, becoming the latest top name to be knocked out of the tournament with an injury.

The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed that Mikel, a star midfielder with English outfit Chelsea, won't be able to play in South Africa because of a knee problem.

And with that goes Nigeria hopes of achieving anything at the World Cup (read: a spot in the quarter-finals).

Like Ghana's loss of captain and midfield general Michael Essien, the absence of Mikel is a crushing blow for Nigeria, both on and off the field.

Mikel first made headlines at the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Finland. In 2005, he played for Nigeria at the FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands (they lost to Argentina in the final) before graduating to the Nigerian senior national team later than same year in a friendly against Libya.

Ever since then, he's been an influential two-way player for the Super Eagles. Mikel's size (six-feet-two-inches) and ball handling abilities have made him a top-tier defensive midfielder, reminiscent of former Chelsea teammate Claude Makelele.

But he also boosts the attack with his solid distribution skills and on-field vision: he set up one goal and scored another in Nigeria's 2-0 win over Zimbabwe at the 2006 African Cup of Nations.

An automatic starter for Nigeria, Mikel will have to watch from the sidelines, which means the Super Eagles will now have to find someone to take his place.

None of Nigeria's bench midfielders, including Ideye Brown (the player drafted in to take Mikel's spot on the team) come close to matching the Chelsea star's quality, drive and commitment on the field.

Without one of their best player, Nigeria's task of making it out of Group B just became even more difficult.

Didier Drogba's participation in the World Cup is in doubt after the Ivory Coast captain broke his arm on Friday during a friendly against Japan.

Not only does Ferdinand, 31, wear the captain's armband, but he is also a guaranteed starter in the centre of defence, alongside John Terry, for England.

But does the absence of Ferdinand, who suffered an injury to his left knee Friday while tackling teammate Emile Heskey during a training session, really hurt England all the much?

I would argue it doesn't.

Had this injury occurred prior to the 2006 World Cup, the story would be different. Four years ago, Ferdinand was on top of his game, rightly heralded as one of the best central defenders in the game. He was a central figure for England, anchoring the back line with his exemplary tackling skills and ability to snuff out danger before it developed.

But times change. Ferdinand is coming off an injury-plagued and error-prone season for Manchester United, and is clearly no longer the stalwart centre-half he once was.

With over 75 caps to his credit, Ferdinand does provide England with valuable experience, but so do Terry and Jamie Carragher, who is back in the national team fold after coming out of international retirement.

Ferdinand's lack of pace would have been badly exposed at a World Cup that many believe will be all about fast football and the counterattack.

Younger legs will be a premium in South Africa, which means Ferdinand's replacement, Michael Dawson (26 years old), considerably softens the blow of the Manchester United star's injury.

And, of course, England has better options in the centre of defence than Ferdinand: the aforementioned Carragher, Ledley King (provided he's overcome his knee problem), and Matthew Upson were all named to Fabio Capello's 23-man roster, and any one of them could easily forge a effective partnership with John Terry.

Now, if it was Wayne Rooney who was ruled out through injury, you could've written off England's chances right away, such is his importance.

But Rio Ferdinand is not indispensable. England can survive without him.

But one thing he's not is stupid.

The Spanish national team coach revealed that he plans to rest Fernando Torres when La Roja take on South Korea in a World Cup tune-up match Thursday in Austria.

Torres is lightning quick, a deadly finisher and a player of such high class with the ball at his feet that he routinely makes the spectacular look ordinary. He is, quite simply, one of the best strikers in the world.

But he is also coming off an injury-plagued season for Liverpool, in which he missed a handful of games in the final weeks of the English Premiership season due to a knee problem.

Spain has always contended that Torres will be fully healthy in time for its World Cup opener against Switzerland on June 16, but there's been growing concern that El Nino's recovery isn't going as smoothly as hoped.

The easy thing to do would be to throw Torres in for 45 minutes against the Koreans to see evaluate how the knee holds up in a competitive situation. It would also give him a bit of playing time and allow him to get his timing back after sitting on the sidelines for an extended period of time.

But Del Bosque is doing the right thing by not rushing Torres back into action. Why risk one of his best players in a meaningless friendly?

France learned that lesson the hard way when Zinedine Zidane picked up a thigh injury in a friendly against South Korea five days before the 2002 World Cup.

Zizou ended up missing the first two games of the tournament and Les Bleus crashed out of the tournament without winning a game or even scoring a goal.

No doubt Del Bosque remembers the plight of the French eight years ago, and doesn't want the same thing to happen to his Spanish side.

"He feels good and we have no doubt on [June] 16th he'll be in perfect playing conditions," Del Bosque told the Associated Press. "But the most important thing is that he's well on that day and he won't be if he plays [on Thursday].

"We won't take any risks. We haven't done it with any player and in this case we won't either."