Sports Digest

A round-up of today's other sports news in brief

Problems for Germany

SOCCER: Germany have problems in defence for their Group D game against Slovakia on Wednesday, with four central defenders - Per Mertesacker, Christoph Metzelder, Robert Huth and Jens Nowotny - injured or lacking match fitness.

Coach Joachim Löw may have to play the Hertha Berlin right back Arne Friedrich and Manuel Friedrich in the centre despite the pair's shaky performance against Georgia on Saturday.

Freddie Ljungberg has been ruled out of Sweden's Euro 2008 qualifier against Iceland tomorrow due to a calf problem.

Ulster opt for all-ticket

RUGBY: Ulster Rugby yesterday declared the club's first Heineken European Cup pool match against Toulouse at Ravenhill on October 21st (1.35pm) as an all-ticket match.

Ticket sales are already approaching the 11,000 mark and both the grandstand and the Titan stand are sold out.

Newport Gwent Dragons forward Andrew Hall has been drafted into the Scotland squad this week. The 27-year-old will act as secondrow cover after Nathan Hines and Scott MacLeod withdrew from the two-day session at Murrayfield.

Dutch rile Benitez

SOCCER: Rafael Benitez has reacted furiously to the Netherlands' reluctance to release the injured Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt.

Kuyt hobbled out of the 1-1 draw with Bulgaria on Saturday after only 16 minutes.

Benitez said: "If Kuyt misses many games, it means we may not win as many games as we would. I believe the national associations should pay 50 per cent of a player's wage when they play for their country, and 100 per cent if they are injured, for as long as they can't play a competitive game."