Belgium's Kompany expects to be fit to face Russia

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Belgium captain Vincent Kompany said he expects to be fit to play against Russia in a World Cup Group H match on Sunday after recovering from a groin strain.

Belgium's Kompany expects to be fit to face Russia

(Reuters)





The central defender trained on his own for a second day on Friday while he received attention for the strain which he picked up late in Tuesday's 2-1 win over Algeria.

"I am fine thanks," he told a reporter when asked about his fitness before taking part in a group training session at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. "If everything goes well today, there shouldn't be any problems."

Belgium are top of Group H after the opening games which also saw Russia draw 1-1 with South Korea.

Belgium coach Marc Wilmots said Kompany was the only lingering injury doubt for Sunday's game.

If the Manchester City defender does not make it into the starting team, he could be replaced by Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Ciman or Nicolas Lombaerts.

Wilmots said he had been surprised that Russia only managed a draw against South Korea and said the team managed by Italian Fabio Capello had looked static for much of the game.

Wilmots said the Russians would be feeling more pressure than Belgium when they meet on Sunday in the Maracana.

"Our situation is good. We are not required to take the game to them. Algeria was a game that we had to win to get into a strong position. Now I think it’s more Russia that has to take things in hand," Wilmots said.

"Will they do it or not? That’s the question."

Wilmots is Belgium's all-time top scorer at the World Cup with five goals. The former midfielder’s last strike came against Russia in a 3-2 win in 2002.





(Writing by William Schomberg, Editing by Nigel Hunt)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world