MADRID: David Beckham expects to be fit for England's decisive Euro 2004 qualifier against Turkey next week after coming through Real Madrid's 2-1 league victory over Espanyol on Sunday unscathed.

"There'll be no problem playing for my country," said Beckham, who missed Real's Champions League win over Porto this week because of a foot injury.

"There was no reaction to the injury, although it's true my foot does hurt a bit."

Beckham had rated himself as doubtful for the Group Seven clash with Turkey next Saturday after suffering the injury in a 2-0 defeat by Valencia last weekend.

He played all but the last few minutes against Espanyol, though. Beckham said he was satisfied with his fitness, despite suffering a slight injury early on.

"I received a blow to my leg in the first 20 minutes," the England captain told Real Madrid's website. "At the end of the game it was painful.

"I'm fine, though, and I'm happy because we won the game. It's now time to think about England. We'll be giving it everything against Turkey."

Owen in doubt

England could still be without one of their key players for the Turkey game. Liverpool striker Michael Owen suffered a shin injury in his side's 2-1 defeat by Arsenal on Saturday.

Owen has been given only an even chance of recovering in time for the game.

Former England physio Alan Smith, however, regards the injury as serious enough for Owen to be out of action for up to six weeks.

"This morning's MRI scan confirmed there is no damage to his ankle or knee but showed he has suffered a...split in the lining between the fibula and tibia bones in his lower right leg," the Liverpool website said on Sunday.

"He is currently rated at 50-50 for next weekend's England match in Istanbul," it added.

Smith, speaking to Sky Sports News, said: "One of the ligaments ... has been partially ruptured which is, in itself, a serious injury and would mean that he wouldn't be fit to play at the weekend.

"We're talking a number of weeks (recovery), maybe anything between three to six weeks, in that region."

Liverpool said Owen would receive intensive treatment and join his England team-mates on Tuesday.

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has delayed the announcement of his squad until 1300 GMT on Monday.

The match will decide whether England or Turkey win Group Seven and qualify automatically for the European Championship finals.

Danish ref out

In Copenhagen, Dane Kim Milton Nielsen, who was due to referee Saturday's qualifier between Turkey and England in Istanbul, has pulled out of the match after picking up an injury during a Danish league game.

Milton famously sent off England midfielder Beckham for a retaliatory kick at Argentina's Diego Simeone during a World Cup second round match in France in 1998. He said he would not travel to Turkey for the October 11 qualifier.

A report by the Danish Ritzau news agency said Milton, a regular European championship and Champions league referee, injured himself in a Danish league game on Sunday.

The Dane was third behind Italian Pierluigi Collina and Swiss Urs Meier in last year's annual referee rankings conducted by the International Federation of Football and Statistics.

Agencies via Xinhua

(China Daily 10/07/2003 page8)