Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal will be given until the last minute to prove his fitness for his team s clash against Australia.
Vidal underwent minor knee surgery at the start of May and is expected to miss Chile s FIFA World Cup opener on Friday.
But the Juventus man s importance in midfield means coach Jorge Sampaoli is willing to wait for the 27-year-old.
We will decide in the coming hours whether Arturo Vidal will play or not, Sampaoli told a news conference on Thursday.
He has had a difficult preparation with an injury but after working with the physio, he has a chance now to play because of his character and courage.
Otherwise he would not have come with the squad with that kind of injury. So, I hope he will be fit to play tomorrow.
After their clash against Australia, Chile face giants Spain and the Netherlands in a tough Group B.
Sampaoli said he believes his team s recent form suggests they can be competitive against the 2010 World Cup finalists.
To be honest we have a difficult group, he said.
We are going face teams with a lot history, but we are working to be tough opponents for them.
I guess if we play as well as we have in the last games, we can compete with Spain and the Netherlands.
