Edinson Cavani now a huge doubt for Uruguay two days before World Cup 2018 quarter-final against France
The video will start in 8 Cancel
Get football updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe See our privacy notice Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani has missed training again as coach Hector Cuper started planning to be without the Paris Saint-Germain star for Friday’s World Cup quarter-final clash with France.
Cavani, who fired the South Americans into the last eight with a two-goal salvo against Portugal before limping off with a calf injury, is undergoing intense physiotherapy to be fit to face the French in Nizhny Novgorod on Friday afternoon.
Uruguay have stated the 31-year-old has suffered a strain rather than a tournament-ending tear.
(Image: AFP/Getty)
(Image: AFP/Getty)
But when Cuper put his squad through their paces with a practice match on Wednesday, former Middlesbrough frontman Christian Stuani took Cavani’s place alongside Luis Suarez.
Stuani, 31, spent two years at the Riverside and now plays for Girona, the Spanish club owned by Manchester City.
(Image: AFP/Getty)
(Image: Reuters)
France midfielder Blaise Matuidi, who misses the game through suspension after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament in the win over Argentina, said: “I wouldn’t say it is going to be a nightmare, but playing Uruguay will be a really tough game.
“They can make trouble for any team in the world, but we have real quality up front.
“We have players with great talent and it is up to us to find a way of putting Uruguay in difficulty.”