McClaren upbeat on Owen and Gerrard

Updated 16.14 Thu Sep 06 2007

Keywords: Steve McClaren, Euro 2008, Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves, England, football, sport

Steve McClaren is hoping Owen Hargreaves and Steven Gerrard will be fit for England's Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel.

Hargreaves suffered a thigh muscle problem in training ahead of Saturday's clash at Wembley while Gerrard has been battling to overcome the broken toe he sustained playing for Liverpool in Toulose last month.

Hargreaves suffered a thigh muscle problem in training ahead of Saturday's clash at Wembley while Gerrard has been battling to overcome a broken toe

McClaren said of the midfield duo: "It is only a small problem and we are hoping it will clear. Owen is certainly not ruled out of Saturday.

"We will continue to assess Steven closely and stay in regular contact with the medical staff at Liverpool before making any decision as to whether he will play.

At the resumption of their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, England find themselves three points behind Croatia and Israel at the top of Group E.

But Hargreaves is confident he and his team-mates can make up the deficit and book their place in next summer's finals in Austria and Switzerland, starting with victories over Israel and Russia.

He said: "It doesn't matter where we are now. Croatia, Israel and Russia have done well so far but we are only halfway through.

"There are still a lot of points to play for, so we will see who is there at the end. We are very confident."