Monday, 7 July 2014 - 09:34
Di María out of semi; Vlaar & De Jong in training
In the semi-finals against The Netherlands on Wednesday, Argentina is going to play without forward Ángel di María, who is out with an injury to his thigh, and certain Dutch players may also be absent in the crucial match.
María was injured after 33 minutes on the field against Belgium, which Argentina won 1-0. Coach Alejandro Sabella will have to replace María with Sergio Agüero, who had a similar injury ten days ago, but is now back in fighting shape.
Injuries on the Dutch side have also blighted the team, with Nigel de Jong tearing his groin in the match against Mexico. On Sunday, De Jong was present on the training field in Rio, however. It is Ron Vlaar who is worrying the team now.
Vlaar did not take part in training due to a knee problem. It is unclear how bad the damage is, and there is no certainty that he will be playing against Argentina on Wednesday.
According to NU.nl, De Jong is doing everything he can to make sure he can be in the finals if Oranje makes it that far. The Dutch team's medical staff are hesitant to say that this can be achieved, but De Jong is listed on the starting line-up.
Leroy Fer is also in rehabilitation training, as he has had a hamstring injury for some time. He may be able to aid The Netherlands against Argentina, however.
After defeating Costa Rica in a nail-biting quarter finals match that ran 0-0 all the way up to shootouts, Oranje is traveling from Salvador to São Paolo today, where the match against Argentina will take place at 10 p.m. Dutch time.
THIS JUST IN: Argentina midfielder Angel Di Maria ruled out of WC semifinal against Netherlands with thigh injury. pic.twitter.com/n9qKonbXu7
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