Ivory Coast wait on Drogba

Ivory Coast coach Sven-Goran Eriksson is sweating on the fitness of striker Didier Drogba and Arthur Boka is a doubt with a thigh problem as the Elephants prepare to open their World Cup campaign against Portugal. Eriksson is quietly confident Drogba will play in Tuesday's opener if FIFA allow the Chelsea forward to wear a lightweight cast on a broken elbow suffered in a friendly match against Japan. Meanwhile, Portugal winger Simao Sabrosa claims he is fully fit - but still not guaranteed to start, despite Nani's withdrawal from the tournament. A little more than a week after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured bone in his arm, Drogba trained with his team-mates at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Monday night as his manager waited to hear whether he could be allowed to play wearing a cast. Asked if Drogba will play in the Group G game, Eriksson said: "I don't know, and I am honest, I really don't know. "Probably we will take the decision if he will start the game or not start a couple of hours beforehand." Simao had a draining season with Atletico Madrid in which he won the Europa League and reached the final of the Spanish Cup. He said: "Despite the fact there was a lot debate on whether it would be me or Nani playing, right now there are 23 of us here and there is no guarantee that I will start as I don't own a place on the wing, we have many players who can play there. "I've finally recovered. At the moment I am at 100% and it's been some time since the last game, which was the Spanish Cup final. "We've been working well and I feel good physically and psychologically."

Source: PA