De Rossi out of Italy-Uruguay

By Football Italia staff

Italy’s chief medic confirmed “it is very likely Daniele De Rossi won’t be able to play against Uruguay.”

The Roma midfielder went for tests this morning in Natal that showed a calf injury with bruising.

Although not a serious strain, it will most likely keep him out of Tuesday’s World Cup showdown with Uruguay.

“It is very likely De Rossi won’t be able to play against Uruguay,” explained Professor Enrico Castellacci in a Press conference.

“There are no lesions to the soleus muscle. It simply is an injury that requires a few days to recover from.

“He felt this pain during the second half and it intensified towards the end of the game. The tests showed bruising on the soleus muscle, therefore the calf, that will very likely stop him from playing against Uruguay.”

Castellacci did have some good news, as Milan full-back Mattia De Sciglio is finally available after missing the first two games with a thigh problem.

“De Sciglio has recovered well from the bicep problem, so he is at the disposal of the Coach.

“Claudio Marchisio had a small problem in his knee, but nothing to worry about.

“Andrea Barzagli is being monitored moment by moment. He wasn’t in bad shape today. If his condition remains like this, then he can play.”

There are concerns over how the Azzurri will react in the heat of Natal, especially as kick-off is again at 13.00 local time against a South American team.

“Against Costa Rica we played with a temperature of 28.9 degrees and 65 per cent humidity, according to the FIFA statistics.

“In Natal the climactic conditions should be similar to those in Recife. If it rains, perhaps it would be better for us.

“It was a different climate to Manaus and the lads felt the effects. It is more of a routine for Costa Rica to experience temperatures like this, but the climate is one of the variables in a tournament.”

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