MX23RW : Tuesday, December 17 09:21:11| >> :120:3679:3679:

England's Ashley Cole ruled out of Montenegro match

Chelsea defender Ashley Cole withdraws from the England squad due to a rib injury and will be replaced by Kieran Gibbs.

Ashley Cole has been ruled out of England's crucial World Cup qualifying match against Montenegro on Friday with a rib injury.

Cole picked up the injury during Chelsea's 3-1 win over Norwich City at the weekend, although the left-back was expected to be fit for international duty.

However, the 32-year-old has remained with his club to receive further treatment and has been replaced in the squad by Arsenal's Kieran Gibbs.

England are currently at the top of their World Cup qualifying group and know that wins in their final two games against Montenegro on Friday and Poland next Tuesday will seal their place at next year's tournament.

Cole, who has 105 England caps to his name, was the only absentee as the 23-man squad met up earlier today.

ID:109805: cacheID:109805:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:1575:
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Ashley Cole
Read Next:
Mourinho: 'Cole will be assessed'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea16104237191834
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City168352823527
6Bournemouth167452421325
7Aston Villa167452425-125
8Fulham166642422224
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham165472129-819
15Crystal Palace163761721-416
16Everton153661421-715
17Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!