Football: 123 days... and counting until the World Cup finals begin in France

Even if Jurgen Klinsmann recovers from his broken jaw in time for the World Cup finals, his place in Germany's starting line-up is by no means certain. His less than convincing club form for Tottenham prior to his injury had not gone unnoticed by Germany's coach, Berti Vogts.

Klinsmann, currently Germany's captain, is guaranteed a place in the squad, however, even if his form does not merit a place in the team. "If Jurgen sees that his performance is no longer there, I'll prepare him quietly for that. And he'll understand," Vogts said this week. "He leads the team well, even if he is not playing. He will also be strong in that role." Udinese's Oliver Bierhoff, Ulf Kirsten of Bayer Leverkusen, Olaf Marschall of Kaiserslautern, Carsten Jancker from Bayern Munich and Fredi Bobic of VfB Stuttgart are Klinsmann's rivals for forward places.