If fresh proof were needed that one man's injury is another's opportunity, then the words of Tord Grip, Sven-Goran Eriksson's assistant, brought some yesterday.
With Michael Owen having limped out of Liverpool's game against Tottenham on Saturday and England's immediate World Cup future, Grip and Eriksson's thoughts have moved to Glasgow, where Celtic's Chris Sutton is playing with renewed purpose.
"We'll watch him in the Champions League on Tuesday," said Grip. "If Sven or myself can't get to Glasgow, one of our staff will. Of course he has a chance to play for England. It is possible that he could be in the squad for Greece."
Eriksson will decide this morning whether to attend in person. Six days ago a spokesman at the Football Association said there were no plans for any such visit. Owen was fit then.
Sutton was an unused substitute in the 2-0 win over Aberdeen on Saturday. Porto should provide a more taxing test, having won 2-1 in Norway against Rosenborg.
The Brazilian midfielder Deco is known as Zinedine Zidane by Porto's coach, Octavio Machado, but it is Porto's defence that will test Sutton and Henrik Larsson.
At £2.8 million sterling, the Argentine Hugo Ibarra is Machado's costliest signing, and he has also bought other defenders, Paolo Costa and Costinha. Machado, part of the backroom staff when Porto won the 1987 European cup, has the priority of recapturing the Portuguese league title, but progress in the Champions League would be welcomed equally.
Martin O'Neill's bid to overturn a one-match ban from Celtic's game tonight was thrown out by the Court of Arbitration last night.
O'Neill was originally suspended by UEFA after he was ordered to leave the dugout by referee Hellmut Krug near the end of Celtic's 3-2 against Juventus in Turin last Tuesday.
In a statement the court said: "The president of the CAS Appeals Arbitration division decided to dismiss the request for interim measures noting that the jurisdiction of CAS was not established in the present case.
"Consequently, the decision made by the UEFA Control and disciplinary body remains in force." The decision means O'Neill is banned from the dressing room, tunnel and touchline for the Celtic Park tie.
CELTIC (probable): Douglas; Balde, Mjallby, Valgaeren; Agathe, Lennon, Lambert, Petrov, Petta; Larsson, Sutton.
PORTO (probable): Ovchinnikov; Ibarra, Jorge Costa, Cavalho, Mario Silva; Costinha, Andrade; Capucho, Deco, Parades; Pena.
