France veterans Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira have been ruled out of Wednesday's international friendly against England at the Stade de France, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced. A French team spokesman said on Monday that the duo would not be available for the game against England as Henry is suffering from an unspecified injury while Vieira is nursing a thigh muscle injury. "I'm feeling better but not enough to play on Wednesday," Vieira told reporters at France's training camp outside Paris. "It's very frustrating." Henry and Vieira join a long list of casualties for Les Bleus, which includes Lyon striker Karim Benzema who pulled out of the squad on Sunday.
Vieira Benzema was replaced by outcast David Trezeguet who is expected to start against England in the absence of Barcelona ace Henry, to the disgruntlement of coach Raymond Domenech. Trezeguet should be paired with Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka who made it clear he is happy to share the goal-scoring duties with the Juventus forward. "I've played many times with David and it worked well,” said Anelka. "He's an excellent striker. If we were to be paired, that would suit me."
