Sports
Coutinho fit for Brazil World Cup qualifiers, says doctor
Rio de Janeiro, Aug 29 (IANS) Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho is ready for Brazil’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Colombia despite concerns about his fitness, his personal doctor said.
The 25-year-old has missed Liverpool’s first three English Premier League (EPL) matches of the season, with the Reds blaming his absence on a back injury, reports Xinhua news agency.
But Coutinho trained normally with the Selecao squad in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre on Monday after a flying visit to Rio de Janeiro, where he was examined by his long-time doctor and friend Michael Simoni.
Simoni said the playmaker had been affected by uncertainty about his future amid mounting speculation that he will join Barcelona.
“Philippe came to talk about personal matters,” Simoni was quoted as saying by Globo Esporte.
“We have a relationship built on trust. He will be totally fine to play in the qualifiers.”
Brazil, already assured of a berth in next year’s World Cup in Russia, lead the South American zone qualifying standings with 33 points from 14 matches.
Thursday’s match against Ecuador in Porto Alegre will be followed by another qualifier against Colombia in Barranquilla five days later.
–IANS
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The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.
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