Freddie will be ready, say Swedes

Freddie Ljungberg is set to play through the pain to face England in the World Cup showdown on Sunday.

The Arsenal star underwent a scan last night which eased fears that he had ruptured a groin muscle which would have kept him out of action for three weeks.

Ljungberg limped out of training yesterday complaining about the injury which had first surfaced a week earlier and which had grown worse in Sweden’s 1-1 draw with Japan.

He is unlikely to train before Sunday’s match in Saitama, though he will undergo an extensive fitness test beforehand.

Swedish coach Lars Lagerback is determined to take no risks with the player who is crucial to his team’s chances of progressing in Group F.

Lagerback puts the injury down to the wear and tear of a domestic season in which Ljungberg’s surging runs and seven goals in the last eight games helped Arsenal clinch the Double.

‘‘He has done very little training,’’ said Lagerback. ‘‘He feels a bit tired in his muscles and he had some smaller injuries that he picked up in the Premier League. It’s more a reaction to a very tough ending to the season.

‘‘We are not going to risk anything but as it looks today there won’t be a problem.

‘‘He is such an important player for us, especially with the form he has shown for Arsenal this season. I want him in the starting XI.’’

Ljungberg spent most of the day relaxing at the team’s Pacific Ocean resort, relieved that his World

Cup dream was still alive.

‘‘I’m much better today than yesterday,’’ he said. ‘‘I still have some pain but we are hopeful.’’