Roberto Martínez, Belgium coach, admitted this Thursday that Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard will have a difficult time recovering from their respective injuries and playing this Friday the quarterfinals of the Eurocup against Italy, although he stressed that he will wait until the last moment to take a decision.
“This Thursday they could not train, there are 24 hours left and that is positive. We will wait until the last moment to decide. We will see if they can play or not. We try to count on them and we are thinking about the whole tournament. We would like to recover them at least for the players. following games, for tomorrow it will be difficult, “Martinez said at the press conference the day before.
“It is a muscle injury in Eden's case, it will be difficult. For De Bruyne it is a ligament problem, it is a decision of the medical body. It is not a football decision, that will come after the decision of the medical body,” added Roberto Martínez . He recognized that having De Bruyne against Italy would be an important 'plus'.
“Kevin is the best ten in the world. Every coach would like to have him available, but it is necessary that they are at one hundred percent. At this moment it is difficult to know how he will be,” he explained.
It will also be a spectacular duel on the bench with coach Roberto Mancini, against whom Martínez achieved one of the best victories of his career, in the FA Cup final, with Wigan against Manchester City in 2013.
“It was one of the best victories, it is one of the most famous competitions in European football. Nobody expected that Wigan would win that trophy, there you see the magic of the FA Cup. That served as inspiration. It was a great success and in ninety minutes anything is possible. In this tournament we already saw great surprises, “he said.
And he paid heartfelt praise to Italy and Mancini's work.
“I think the best two teams are measured in this tournament. We won fourteen games between qualifying, groups and eighths. It is a shame for both Italy and Belgium to measure themselves in the quarterfinals. We have to be ready,” he said.
“We respect Italy a lot, it is a great team, with great players. They have a lot of commitment, they press well, they defend as a team. I would highlight their way of playing, in a synchronized way. Mancini's work is noticeable. I like the coaches who know the tactics. He did very well at Manchester City, he built a winning mentality in England. It shows his work, his competitiveness, “he continued.