Latest Group D news ahead of the World Cup in South Africa which starts on June 11. By Reuters GHANA Coach Milovan Rajevac says the recent freeze on air travel in Europe because of the volcanic ash cloud meant he had to go on a car odyssey across the continent looking at players. “It hasn’t been easy. A lot of work has been going on in during this important period. Some of my tour to see the players had to be in the car on the road because of the volcanic ash,” he told the Ghana Football Association website. But in spite of the scouting, Rajevac last week named only a handful of changes to his African Nations Cup squad from January in a preliminary list of 30 players for the World Cup. GERMANY Germany play their first international friendly since the season ended against Malta on Saturday. Coach Joachim Loew will be missing a dozen players, still in action with Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen in the Champions League and German Cup final. Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez as well as Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philipp Lahm will be among seven Bayern players missing as will be Werder Bremen keeper Tim Wiese and team mates Mesut Ozil, Per Mertesacker and Marko Marin. Germany captain Michael Ballack who won the Premier League title with Chelsea on Sunday, will also be absent. The charity match in Aachen will provide Loew with little insight, apart from the goalkeeper position where Bayern in-form keeper Hans-Joerg Butt is making a dash for the starting spot after being called up at the last minute to replace injured Rene Adler. AUSTRALIA Debates over Harry Kewell’s fitness ahead of the World Cup rage on in Australia after the former Leeds and Liverpool playmaker confirmed he had re-injured a troublesome groin strain that has sidelined him from Galatasaray’s season this year. Kewell, who played a few minutes off the bench for the Turkish side last week, would struggle to recover in time for the World Cup, local media quoted their assistant coach Johan Neeskens as saying. Kewell admitted the injury was still bothering him, but was defiant he would be fit for the finals. “I’m still resting these old legs. There are still a few more games (for Australia) before the World Cup,” he said. Coach Pim Verbeek will name a preliminary squad for South Africa on Tuesday. SERBIA Serbia coach Radomir Antic has tipped Nikola Zigic to shine in the World Cup although the striker has had a patchy season with Valencia, having struggled to break into the starting line-up at the La Liga club. “Serbia will do very well in the World Cup and I have no doubt in my mind that Zigic will be one of the tournament’s outstanding players,” Antic was quoted as saying by Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti. Midfielder Radosav Petrovic, a fringe player in Serbia’s setup, boosted his hopes of breaking into the World Cup squad with a superb goal which settled Belgrade’s derby between Partizan and Red Star. www.timeslive.co.za