The Biggest Disasters in Pre-World Cup Friendlies

The Biggest Disasters in Pre-World Cup Friendlies

📅10 June 2014, 09:20

The World Cup is now just a few days away and over the past week teams have been engaging in last minute friendlies. While for most players this is a great opportunity to warm up and prepare for the tournament, some have had fairly disastrous weeks.

For instance England’s Raheem Sterling managed just 15 minutes in the friendly against Ecuador before being sent off for a dangerous tackle on Antonio Valencia. As a result of the suspension he was also unable to play in the friendly against Honduras.

Italy’s Riccardo Montolivo has also had a rough time. He has been ruled out of the World Cup after breaking his shin bone in a friendly match against Ireland. It is a similar story for England’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who injured his knee and may also miss the tournament.

Germany is also not without troubles after Marco Reus injured his ankle during the team’s 6-1 win over Armenia. Reus will now miss the World Cup and Germany, which relies heavily on Reus’ speed and movement, will definitely feel the loss.

There’re even problems for the host team. Brazil’s midfielder Oscar was booed off at half-time during the team’s recent friendly against Serbia. Oscar is short of match fitness and does not seem as focused as he needs to be if he wishes to prove himself Brazil’s star playmaker.