Steven Gerrard has given England a fitness scare ahead of the World Cup opener with Paraguay in Frankfurt on Saturday and rates his chances of playing as "50-50".

The Liverpool midfielder is battling to overcome a knock on his hip which caused him to go into back spasms during training earlier in the week.

Gerrard took some part in today's session in Germany but is hedging his bets as to whether he will available to play in 48 hours' time.

He said: "It is not a back problem. I got a knock on my hip which made my back go into spasms. The good thing is it is improving all the time. I have got a good chance of playing on Saturday but I need to keep working on it from now until Saturday.

"What is a good chance? As we speak now, I am probably 50-50 to play - but if it keeps improving as it has done over the last 24 hours, then I'll be there."

Gerrard, who missed the last World Cup after undergoing groin surgery, added: "I've not had a back problem for years. This has come from the knock. I don't know how it is going to respond but it has improved a lot over the last 24 hours. If it keeps going in that direction, I am confident I will be ready for Saturday."