Campbell joins Ferdinand on the casualty list

Sol Campbell has been ruled out of England's opening Euro 2004 qualifier against Slovakia.

The Arsenal defender has been suffering from gastroenteritis all week but is hopeful of recovering in time for the game against Macedonia on 16 October.

"Sol is confined to bed under doctor's instructions and has not eaten anything for the past two days," said Football Association spokesman Paul Newman.

The news that Campbell will not travel to Bratislava is a massive blow for England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, who is already without Rio Ferdinand.

Gareth Southgate is almost certain to be one of the replacement centre-backs and could end up playing alongside Middlesbrough team-mate Ugo Ehiogu.

"Sol and Rio are a loss - they are both outstanding players," Southgate said.

"But we feel we're as good as any other combination in the league and if we are called upon we're confident we can put in a good performance."

Cole rested

Captain David Beckham meanwhile missed training on Wednesday after picking up a slight calf injury during Manchester United's win over Everton.

But he is expected to be ready to play in Bratislava on Saturday.

Eriksson also rested Campbell's Arsenal team-mate Ashley Cole to enable him to recover from a knock picked up in their win against Sunderland on Sunday.

And to complete his defensive conundrum, Eriksson must also decide whether to recall Gary Neville at right-back.

Neville missed the World Cup with a foot injury and Eriksson was impressed with the performances of Danny Mills in Japan.

But with Campbell and Ferdinand already out, Neville's experience could win him a return to the starting XI.