Beckham trains alone before England trip

England captain David Beckham trained alone on Thursday as he tried to shake off a minor groin injury in time for Saturday's Euro 2004 qualifier against Macedonia.

Beckham finished his club Real Madrid's Spanish league match against Villarreal on Tuesday with a tight groin and did not join the rest of the England squad for Thursday's final training session before the trip to Skopje for the Group Seven game.

Instead Beckham trained at the team hotel's gymnasium, said an English Football Association spokesman at the squad's training camp near Manchester.

"We are still quietly confident that he will be available for Saturday's game," the spokesman added.

Injury or illness have already deprived England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson of midfielders Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Trevor Sinclair along with defender Rio Ferdinand.

England need to win the match to stay on the heels of group leaders Turkey. Eriksson's side are two points behind the Turks but have a game in hand and their last match is in Turkey on October 11.

England, who face Liechtenstein in their penultimate qualifier next Wednesday in Manchester, fly out to Macedonia on Thursday afternoon and are scheduled to arrive at 7.15 p.m. local time (1715 GMT).