Andres Iniesta is a doubt for Spain's World Cup opener against Switzerland after a scan on his right thigh, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) said yesterday. The Barcelona playmaker asked to be substituted in the first half of their 6-0 warm up win over Poland in Murcia on Tuesday, with the coaching staff saying that it was simply a precautionary measure.
"He has a small oedema [fluid swelling] in his right thigh. It is not a serious injury and there is no tear," the federation said on their website. "There isn't a fixed recovery period so he is not ruled out of the first game of the World Cup in South Africa, which takes place against Switzerland in Durban on June 16." Iniesta has struggled with a string of thigh problems over the last year and has just returned to action after missing the end of the league season. He has played in all three of Spain's warm-up matches and was in outstanding form against Poland, helping to set up Spain's first two goals before being replaced by Pedro.
Spain's opponents in their first match, Switzerland, have their own injury problems after Alex Frei, the captain, injured his right ankle in training yesterday only hours before the squad headed to South Africa. Ottmar Hitzfeld, the coach, says Frei probably sprained the ankle, but is being examined in hospital to check whether he has torn a ligament or broken any bones."Although the pain was very strong for him, I hope it's nothing serious," Hitzeld said. "Even if he can't make the first game, he can join us later in the tournament."
Elsewhere, Bob Bradley, the United States head coach, revealed he has picked the brains of Fabio Capello and Sir Alex Ferguson as he looks to plot England's downfall in Saturday's World Cup opener. Bradley has spent time with several Premier League clubs - including Manchester United - in observing different managers and how they work. And he did the same with Capello, the current England coach, including the time when he was in charge of AC Milan.
Bradley said: "Without a doubt there have been some managers who, when you get to know them a bit, have been great in being open. "You find they know a great deal about soccer in the United States, they know about our national team. You get a sense that the environment inside the club often has a lot to do with the personality of the manager." Jozy Altidore, the top scorer for the US in qualifying has won his battle to be fit to face England.
Altidore missed the weekend success over Australia in a friendly international in Johannesburg while recovering from an ankle problem. Alexandre Pato is following Brazil around South Africa as a fan after failing to make his country's World Cup squad. Pato was surprisingly left out by coach Dunga along with his AC Milan teammate Ronaldinho but the 20-year-old striker decided to make the trip anyway to support his countrymen in their attempt to win a record sixth World Cup title.
Pato is following the example set by local fans and has already got his hands on a vuvuzela trumpet to blow at Group G games against Portugal, Ivory Coast and North Korea. He says he is "going to matches with my vuvuzela and I'm going to watch Brazil play and be world champion". * Agencies
