Uruguay's Edinson Cavani likely out of World Cup quarterfinal vs. France

Posted Thursday, July 05, 2018 by ESPN

Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani is likely to miss his country's World Cup quarterfinal clash with France on Friday after suffering a calf injury in the victory over Portugal in the round of 16, team sources told ESPN's Diego Munoz.

Cavani missed training for the third consecutive day on Wednesday while receiving intense treatment on his left leg.

The Paris Saint-Germain star, who scored a brace in his team's 2-1 win over Portugal, was injured in an off-the-ball incident in that match on Saturday and was replaced after 74 minutes.

Sources say Girona's Christian Stuani is the top candidate to replace Cavani in the Uruguay starting XI if he is unable to play.

However, Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez also is considering Penarol's Cristian "Cebolla" Rodriguez as a replacement, which would leave Luis Suarez as the only forward for Uruguay against Les Bleus.

The Uruguay football federation announced on Monday that Cavani suffered painful swelling but not a tear in the calf, which they said increased his chances of being fit to face France in Nizhny Novgorod.

"The player remains in pain. He will continue to do individual work and rehabilitation. His evolution is being monitored," a federation statement said. "The rest of the squad is fine."

Uruguay have won all of their games in Russia, conceding just one goal in four games.

The 31-year-old Cavani has been a key figure for La Celeste, scoring three goals in his four World Cup games thus far.