World Cup squads
June 2, 2014
With the start of the World Cup drawing ever closer, the qualifed teams are expected to confirm and name their final squads by Monday. Those players lying on the cusp of finding a place on the plane to Brazil have been given a second chance – but injuries are also playing a significant factor.
Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has decided not to include Fiorentina striker Giuseppe Rossi, while he watched AC Milan midfielder Roberto Montolivo break his leg in Saturday's friendly against Ireland.
Prandelli includes an experienced backbone with prestigious names such as, Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo of Juventus, but also boasts all-domestic frontline of Mario Balotelli (AC Milan), Antonio Cassano (Parma), Alessio Cerci (Torino), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli) and Borussia Dortmund target Ciro Immobile, the Italian top-flight's top scorer.
Reigning champions Spain travel to Brazil with many former European Championship and World Cup winners, but head coach Vincente del Bosque has taken a gamble by including Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa.
The 25-year-old attacker limped off after eight minutes in last weekend's Champions League final and faces a race against time to be fit for the first match on June 13. Costa, who declared his commitment to Spain this season despite being born in Brazil, was picked over Alvaro Negredo of Manchester City.
Fernando Torres has also been included, and the striker will be looking to add to his eight previous goals at major international finals since he made his Spain debut in 2003. But there is no place for Manchester City winger Jesus Navas.
The youthful Oranje
One man heading to Manchester next season, though, is Dutch national team coach Louis van Gaal who has a number of young-guns at his disposal. Hamburg's Rafael Van der Vaart didn't make the cut after failing to recover from an end-of-season injury though.
There is room for Bundesliga representation in FC Augsburg's Paul Verhaegh, Schalke's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Arjen Robben of Bayern Munich.
Meanwhile, in the same group as Spain and the Netherlands, but with differing fortunes, are Chile who have called former Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Arturo Vidal into their 23-man squad, despite concerns around the midfielder's fitness.
The 23-year-old missed the 3-2 win in Egypt after having keyhole surgery in his right knee a fortnight ago. Coach Jorge Sampoali has selected just one natural central-defender in his squad with the South Americans expected to play a 3-5-2 at the World Cup.
Croatia, who will open the tournament against Brazil on June 12, will take a largely predictable crop that includes Real Madrid's star man Luka Modric and Bayern's Mario Mandzukic. Former Portsmouth and Tottenham midfielder Niko Kranjcar misses out through injury though.
Suarez included
Elsewhere, Luis Suarez, despite his surgery two weeks ago, finds a place in Oscar Tabarez's 23-man Uruguay squad. The two-time World Cup winners will be looking to build on their semi-final finish in South Africa.
Suarez may not be a guaranteed starter in the first two matches against Costa Rica and England, but he should be fit for Uruguay's final match against Italy.
Iran, coached by former Manchester United assistant Carlos Queiroz, has included goalkeeper Daniel Davari in their squad. The Eintracht Braunschweig stopper confirmed last week he would be leaving the former Bundesliga team for Grasshoppers Zurich.
Fabio Capello has named his Russia squad with all of his players coming from the Russian Premier League. Only Alexander Kerzakhov has featured at a World Cup before, having played a small part in 2002. Six of Capello's final 23 play for Dinamo Moscow.
African squads confirmed
Despite contracting malaria last week, Liverpool defender Kolo Toure is called up to the final 23-man World Cup squad for Ivory Coast. Toure is joined by former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and his brother, Yaya, from Manchester City.
Ghana, one of Germany's group-stage opponents, have left out Leicester City's Jeffrey Schlupp, among others, but the squad, with the likes of Schalke's Kevin-Prince Boateng and AC Milan's Michael Essien, has a strong core of experienced internationals who helped them to a place in the last-eight of the 2010 World Cup.
Cameroon boss Volker Finke named his squad in the hours following a 2-2 draw in Mönchengladbach with spots for Mainz's Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting and Schalke's Joel Matip.
Finally, Algeria's Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodzic raised a few eyebrows among their supporters, leaving out Crystal Palace midfielder Adlene Guedioura and on-loan Nottingham Forest forward Rafik Djebbour from the final 23. Both featured at the 2010 World Cup and were important in the 2014 World Cup qualification stages.