Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez is set to make his World Cup debut for Uruguay against South Korea after overcoming an injury scare.
The Group H World Cup battle will set the tone for both sides’ Qatar campaigns, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and Ghana also involved in the group.
South Korea will breathe a collective sigh of relief, with star forward Son Heung-Min starting, after having overcome a fitness battle following a fracture to his face.
Another Premier League star to have battled back from injury to start the World Cup clash in Liverpool’s Nunez.
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Nunez starts
El Pais claimed on Monday that Nunez had to temporarily leave Uruguay training to address an injury scare.
However, upon receiving medical treatment, the striker was cleared to return to training.
He is now part of a star-studded line-up set to take on South Korea, which includes Luis Suarez, Atletico Madrid centre-back Jose Gimenez, Real Madrid star Federico Valverde and Spurs’ in-form midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur.
Nunez had a difficult start to life at Anfield, after his £70million summer signing from Benfica. The 23-year-old erratic style and finishing ability had been criticised, while a costly red card against Crystal Palace did not endear the Uruguayan to the Anfield faithful.
However, Nunez has since netted eight times in 16 Liverpool appearances.
After scoring his fourth and fifth Premier League goals for the Reds against Southampton, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: “Both [his] goals were outstanding, the movement was outstanding.”
Teams
Uruguay XI: Rochet; Caceres, Godin, Gimenez, Olivera; Bentancur, Vecino; Valverde; Pellistri, Suarez, Nunez
South Korea XI: Kim Seung-gyu, Kim Moon-hwan, Kim Min-jae, Kim Young-gwon, Kim Jin-su, Jung Woo-young, Hwang In-beom, Lee Jae-sung, Na Sang-ho, Hwang Ui-jo, Son Heung-min
Topics: Football, Uruguay, Darwin Nunez, Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, South Korea
Chris Byfield