Graphic: the crock squad

The tension between Fabio Capello and Rafael Benítez grew last night, with the Liverpool manager bewildered by his England counterpart's insistence that Steven Gerrard make a six-hour round trip to prove that he was not fit enough to play for his country in tomorrow's friendly match against Germany.

Gerrard is one of seven first-choice players who have pulled out of the match in Berlin, but his absence has caused by far the greatest controversy, with Capello irked by Liverpool's announcement on Sunday that their captain would miss the match, having suffered a groin injury during their 2-0 victory away to Bolton Wanderers 24 hours earlier.

Eager to prove a point - whether to Gerrard or to Benítez, with whom he has clashed over the player's fitness this season - Capello demanded that the Liverpool captain report to the England team hotel in Hertfordshire to be assessed by the Football Association's medical staff.

The FA quickly confirmed Liverpool's diagnosis of a torn adductor muscle, leaving Gerrard to make the three-hour journey back to Merseyside yesterday, but tensions remain between Capello and Benítez, with both managers unhappy at the way that the other has handled the matter.

After Frank Lampard joined the list of absentees yesterday because of a rib injury, the FA moved last night to dispel conspiracy theories that leading players had withdrawn from the squad while fit enough to represent their clubs. The other notable absentees are Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, Wayne Rooney and Emile Heskey, along with David Beckham, who is considered to lack match fitness, meaning that, of the first-choice starting line-up, only David James, Gareth Barry, Theo Walcott and John Terry - the England captain has recovered from a foot injury - are available to play in Berlin.

However, a frustrated Capello has reluctantly accepted that all their injuries are genuine, even if in many cases the players are likely to be fit to play for their clubs in the Barclays Premier League next weekend.

“It's just very unfortunate that we've got a lot of players who are regulars in the squad who are not around,” Adrian Bevington, the FA's director of communications, said. “The fact is that players have been down and have been assessed and we are satisfied that these players have legitimate injuries. The medical scans show it up, so there shouldn't be any suggestion or innuendo otherwise. The players are absolutely gutted that they are not able to play for England in Berlin on Wednesday night.” Jimmy Bullard, of Fulham, and Scott Parker, of West Ham United, have been called up to bolster Capello's midfield resources.

Gerrard will be more disappointed than any of his fellow absentees, particularly because his commitment to the England cause has again been questioned. Capello was disappointed when Gerrard was ruled out of the opening World Cup qualifying matches against Andorra and Croatia in September, believing that Liverpool had timed his groin operation to serve their interests at the expense of those of his country.

Benítez felt on this occasion that he had handled the matter in the correct manner, with messages conveyed to Capello via his medical staff, as has become the norm, before a club statement was issued on Sunday afternoon. The Liverpool manager defended his handling of the matter yesterday. “We had to do a scan after the Bolton game because Steven said he had some pain in his groin,” he said. “It is not a massive problem and we hope he will be ready to return in seven to ten days.”

While Scott Carson, Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Darren Bent expect to appear in Berlin at some stage, the ultra-competitive Capello is likely to keep experimentation to a minimum in the first half, preferring a more solid and experienced line-up in the hope of extending England's unbeaten run to eight matches.