Injured Ozil to miss Germany’s final World Cup warm-up
Arsenal star Mesut Ozil will miss Germany's final warm-up match on Friday with a knee injury, but the attacking midfielder's participation in the World Cup is not in danger, according to the German football federation.
Germany’s midfielder Mesut Ozil attends a training session of the German national football team at the Rungghof training centre on June 7, 2018 in Eppan near Bolzano, northern Italy, ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia. / AFP PHOTO / Christof STACHE
Ozil, 29, will sit out the friendly against Saudi Arabia in Leverkusen with light bruising to his left knee, but was able to run in training on Thursday.
The midfielder, who picked up the injury in Saturday’s shock 2-1 defeat to Austria, has not taken part in full training over the last four days at Germany’s pre-World Cup camp in Eppan, north Italy.
“It’s nothing dramatic, we just don’t want to take any risk and he was able to sprint in training. I assume he will be okay for the World Cup,” said Germany’s team director Oliver Bierhoff.
Ozil, who finished the 2017/18 season with a back injury, faces a race to get his knee ready for Germany’s first World Cup game against Mexico in Moscow on June 17 having also drawn South Korea and Sweden in Group F.
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