Germany wait on Schweinsteiger
Reuters - Saturday 26 June 2010, 16:48
BLOEMFONTEIN - Germany midfielder Bastian
Schweinsteiger's participation in Sunday's World Cup second
round clash against England will be decided only hours before
the match as the Germans hold out hope he could be fit to play.
The 25-year-old playmaker, who plays a key role in their
young squad with the absence of injured captain Michael Ballack,
picked up a thigh muscle injury in their final Group D match
against Ghana.
GEAR: Get your Schweinsteiger shirt
He has missed the team training for the past two days.
Defender Jerome Boateng is also doubtful following his calf
muscle injury in the same game. Both players trained lightly on
Saturday.
"We will take the final decision tomorrow and the last
training where we will see how fit they are," said goalkeeping
coach Andreas Koepke, who replaced coach Joachim Low at the
final pre-match news conference on Saturday.
"Both players will undergo a test tomorrow to see in what
condition they are because it does not make sense for them to
play if they are not 100 percent," said Koepke.
Loew has said 20-year-old midfielder Toni Kroos, who came on
as a substitute for Schweinsteiger late in the Ghana match,
could replace him from the start.
Marcell Jansen or Holger Badstuber could replace Boateng as
left-back.
"All the other players have been training superbly so it all
will be decided tomorrow," Koepke said.
Striker Cacau, however, will definitely miss the game with a
stomach muscle injury picked up in training on Friday. Koepke
said he would be out for up to four days.
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