Milan Baros suffers new injury setback

WESTERBURG, Germany, June 9: Czech Republic striker Milan Baros's return to training today lasted a mere 15 minutes before he sat out the rest of the session on the bench with a foot injury.

Coach Karel Brueckner, who said earlier in the week that doctors were optimistic he would be fit in time for the team's World Cup Group E opening game against the United States on Monday, seemed less confident.

''He can't even jog, the only physical exercise he can do is cycling,'' Brueckner told reporters after the training session in Westerburg.

The injury has prevented the 24-year-old forward from training this week in Germany.

Although Brueckner has not formally ruled Baros out of Monday's game, speculation is growing over who might replace him in the starting line-up.

Natural choices to partner giant striker Jan Koller would be Marek Heinz and Jiri Stajner, while some commentators have pointed to midfielder Libor Sionko, who received a last-minute call-up after Vladimir Smicer withdrew with an injury.

''If you're talking about for example speed ... then maybe I have an advantage,'' Sionko told reporters when asked if he thought he was the better placed of the three to take Baros's place.

''It's very difficult to say. Of course there are always chances.'' Baros was the top scorer in Euro 2004, when the Czechs reached the semi-finals, and his absence would be bad news for the team making its World Cup debut.

Even if Baros did not play, there were still plenty of other players on the field who could hit the target, said Koller, the Czech's all-time international record scorer.

''We have got good shooters in midfield, like Pavel Nedved and Tomas Rosicky,'' he said.

Koller's own pre-tournament worries over a knee injury were no longer a problem.

''I feel good, nothing hurts,'' he told reporters.

REUTERS