© EuroFootball.com
Croatia's national team captain Niko Kovač is recovering from a rib injury suffered in the match against the five-time world champions Brazil. The player believes he will be able to take the field in the F group match against Japan.
N. Kovač ended his performance after just 40 minutes - first he was roughly tackled by the Brazilian Adriano, and then fouled by the defender Ze Roberto, forcing the Croatian to leave the field. Croatia lost to Brazil in that match after a hard-fought battle, with Kaka scoring the winning goal in the 44th minute.
Nevertheless, Kovač looked great in training and believes he will have the strength to help his team in the match against the Japanese team, which will take place on June 18 at the Nuremberg stadium.
"I still feel a little pain, but I have played with bigger injuries before.", - said N. Kovač, speaking at a press conference about playing with a broken rib. - "I hope that God will take care of us and we will win tomorrow (editor's note - today)."
