Not a single ball has been kicked in Brazil yet, but the injuries are already beginning to take their toll on the Spanish national team. Head coach Vicente del Bosque is already dealing with the harsh reality of finding Xavi's like-for-like substitution after Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara was ruled out of the tournament due to a ligament tear in his knee.
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Now, the No. 9 in his 4-3-3 formation remains a minor question mark.
Diego Costa—who was named to Spain's provisional World Cup roster and is expected to make the final 23—was forced to exit Sunday's league-deciding encounter with Barcelona in the 13th minute. Tests at the Clinica FREMAP on Monday revealed that the 25-year-old suffered a grade I hamstring injury (per AS). Costa is now facing the possibility of missing the next 15 days and is ruled out of Saturday's clash with Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final.
Just don't tell manager Diego Simeone.
The man responsible for Atletico Madrid's current rein refuses to rule him out (h/t to Marca). "We need to arrive with our best possible side. We'll wait and see how Costa and Arda [Turan] are progressing at the weekend," Simeone said.
"The week starts today. We're not going to get ahead of ourselves because it's too soon. If they can't play, we'll look for alternatives," he added.
"When a player is selected, you don't consider that [injury] as a possibility, because the work that has gone into it and the feelings, especially of the player, are that everything's fine. He's got a strain and it's a possibility that [reinjuring] it could happen."
"You obviously hope it doesn't, because otherwise you have to make a very fast change."
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