Rangelov pulls out with ankle injury

BULGARIA v IRELAND NEWS:BULGARIA MANAGER Stanimir Stoilov's striking options have been narrowed ahead of Saturday's vital World Cup qualifying game against Ireland by the withdrawal of Energie Cottbus frontman Dimitar Rangelov with an ankle injury.

Federation officials said at yesterday’s squad training session in Sofia that the striker had not recovered as hoped from the problem which he sustained towards the end of what was a difficult Bundesliga season for the former East German outfit.

Rangelov is the second Bulgarian to cry off ahead of Saturday’s game with Amkar Perm defender Zahari Sirakov departing the squad after being ruled out because of a stomach problem.

With a couple of regulars from the past few years still unavailable to him because of longer term injuries, Stoilov has chosen to call up just one player, Litex Lovech defender Mihail Venkov for the game.

Stoilov knows Venkov particularly well having just guided Lovech to the Bulgarian cup, the coach’s third triumph in the competition during the past five seasons.

Litex subsequently returned to play a dramatic part in the last round of games in the league with their 1-0 defeat of second-placed CSKA Sofia effectively handing the title to city rivals Levski.

The manager will rue the loss of Rangelov, who played the whole of the 1-1 draw at Croke Park a couple of months ago, but the 26-year-old might well have started Saturday evening’s tussle on the bench due to the return from injury since the sides last met of Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov.

Manchester City star Martin Petrov is also available for this weekend’s World Cup qualifier which the Bulgarians need to win if they are to close the gap on Ireland and improve their chances of overhauling Giovanni Trapattoni’s side and taking second place in the group behind Italy.

Berbatov’s return will do much to bolster the home side’s spirits although there is some concern amongst the Bulgarian media regarding the star striker’s form over the last few months with the fact that he was named this week by one British broadsheet as the Premier League’s worst transfer of the year widely reported in his homeland.

The 28-year-old former Tottenham player spoke prior to leaving Manchester for Sofia this week of the banter between himself and United’s two Irish players regarding this weekend’s game.

“I have been speaking about the game a lot to both John (O’Shea) and Darron (Gibson) as we are together a lot of the time at United,” he said.

“They have told me that Ireland will come and win in Sofia, but I told them the opposite. It’s a big game and both teams want to win, but I can tell them that on the pitch there will be no friendship. Everyone will be trying their hardest.”

Berbatov believes that the support of home fans in the Vassil Levksi national stadium where ticket prices have been reduced to €3 (€5 for Irish supporters) could be crucial. “I am sure the fans will come in numbers and will fill the stadium,” he said. “If we win, it will be great because we will improve our chances of reaching the World Cup finals next year.”