MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico forward Raul Jimenez, who has been sidelined since August due to a groin injury, will play in their last warm-up friendly before the World Cup against Sweden on Wednesday, head coach Gerardo Martino said.
The Argentinean coach included the Wolverhampton Wanderers forward in his 26-man squad despite him playing only four matches this season for the Premier League club.
“The decision (to include Jimenez) was taken based on the evolution he has had and what we talked about with the medical staff,” Martino told reporters on Tuesday.
“His performance (in training) has been quite good, so yes, he will surely have minutes tomorrow against Sweden,” the coach added.
Martino added that the main objective of the match was to prepare the players for their World Cup opener against Poland, who he says are similar in their style of play to Sweden.
“Sweden is somewhat similar to Poland in terms of quick transitions. They could be similar traits but they are not exactly the same,” Martino said.
“The gamble tomorrow is to have our players ready.”
Mexico will kick off their World Cup campaign against Poland on Nov. 22, followed by Group C games against Argentina and Saudi Arabia.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Toby Davis)
