Xavi was a surprise omission on Thursday from Spain coach Vicente del Bosque's squad for the world champions' Euro 2012 Group I qualifiers

Madrid: Xavi was a surprise omission on Thursday from Spain coach Vicente del Bosque's squad for the world champions' Euro 2012 Group I qualifiers against Lithuania and Scotland next month. The Barcelona playmaker, whom a Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) spokeswoman said was suffering from an Achilles problem and had asked to be rested, joins fellow midfielder Cesc Fabregas and defender Raul Albiol on the injury list. Fabregas damaged a hamstring during Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Sunderland on Sept. 18 and was expected to be out for two to three weeks. "We have two fundamental matches which are extremely dangerous," Del Bosque, who willlead...