\n
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) – Belgium’s Jeremy Doku will not play in Sunday’s World Cup match against Iran due to illness.<\/p>\n
The Manchester City winger has been ruled out by the Red Devils for Saturday’s match at SoFi Stadium in the Los Angeles area. Coach Rudy Garcia declined to comment in detail on Doc’s condition, saying he is expected to be battling a respiratory illness for at least two weeks.<\/p>\n
“He can’t play, so we’ll be playing without him,” Garcia said through an interpreter at the pre-game press conference. “We knew from (Friday) night that he wasn’t going to play. You don’t want to have a player play if he’s not medically ready for the game. You can have him play even if he’s not 100 percent physically, but being 100 percent medically is (more important). But we’re going to be fine and I’m 100 percent confident that we’ll win tomorrow.”<\/p>\n
The speedy Doc started in Belgium’s World Cup opener last Monday, playing in the 86th minute of the game. 1-1 draw with Egypt<\/span>. Poison He reportedly left practice early.<\/span> He suffered a respiratory problem the week before the opening game.<\/p>\n“He was fine and managed to play against Egypt,” Garcia said. “But since then, well, life has its ups and downs, and the medical staff decided to take things a little further and help him recover.”<\/p>\n
Doc has also been in the spotlight in recent days after telling reporters: He was willing to leave the team if necessary.<\/span> Her first child was born during the World Cup. Doc’s wife is due to give birth in early July during the knockout stage.<\/p>\nGarcia declined to say who would replace Doc in the starting XI, but hinted that Romelu Lukaku would likely be his replacement again. The 33-year-old striker missed almost the entirety of last season at Napoli due to a lingering hamstring injury.<\/p>\n
Lukaku, Belgium’s all-time leading scorer, came on in the second half of the game against Egypt and immediately created a chance to equalize. Garcia said Lukaku is not yet ready to play the full game.<\/p>\n
“We have to be careful because we might want to play more than he can,” Garcia said. “But the goal is to have him play until the end[of the World Cup]. We can’t wear him out too quickly. And there’s competition. As long as other players can play, he can play the role of a super sub. That’s his outstanding role. We can start him, but if he plays 60 minutes I don’t know if he can play beyond that. … He’s not only a good striker for Belgium, he’s one of the best strikers in football, and that’s a good thing.”He missed a lot of training sessions, so we’re happy to have him here. \u201d<\/p>\n
Belgium ranks 10th in the FIFA world rankings<\/span>But after being held to an unexpected draw by Egypt, they need a strong performance against Iran to stay on track to win the group. The Red Devils conclude their group stage match against New Zealand on Friday.<\/p>\nIf the Red Devils win the group and the first knockout stage, they will be in the next match. Co-sponsor USA<\/span> If the undefeated American team wins its first match against the third-place team, it will advance to the Round of 16 on July 6th.<\/p>\n___<\/p>\n
AP World Cup: https:\/\/apnews.com\/FIFA-World-Cup<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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