Share

Injured Ozil to miss Germany's final SWC warm-up match

Berlin - 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 2018 Soccer World Cup is not in danger, according to the German football federation.

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.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
67% - 922 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
33% - 447 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE