Uruguay captain Lugano to miss England clash

Jul 10, 2014 - 1:12 AM Sao Paulo, Brazil (SportsNetwork.com) - Uruguay captain Diego Lugano has been ruled out of Thursday's Group D contest with England because of a knee injury.

The defender picked up the problem in Uruguay's 3-1 upset defeat at the hands of Costa Rica in the opening match, and the injury has prevented Lugano from training properly in the past few days.

A statement from the Uruguay Football Federation (AUF) read: "The AUF hereby informs that Diego Lugano has been ruled out for the match to be played against England on Thursday June 19.

"He has suffered pain in his left knee... which has intensified in recent days, preventing his proper sporting performance.

"An MRI scan has found no specific problems which would require surgical treatment. He will receive physiotherapy and his progress will be monitored."

The 33-year-old is not the only player missing for Thursday's contest as Uruguay will also be without Maxi Pereira following his red card against Costa Rica.

There is some good news for Uruguay, however, as star striker Luis Suarez is expected to return the lineup despite his continued recovery from knee surgery.