Injured Bravo to miss Confederations Cup opener

Claudio Bravo has been ruled out of Chile’s opening Confederations Cup match with Cameroon by a persistent calf injury.

The Manchester City stopper has not featured for club or country since leaving the field on a stretcher against Manchester United in the Premier League on April 27.

As a result Johnny Herrera has been between the posts for Chile in their three warm-up games for the tournament in Russia and he is expected to retain his place in the Group B opener in Moscow.

Bravo’s condition continues to improve, though, and he could be back when the Copa America champions meet Germany next Thursday.

“Claudio Bravo underwent examinations which showed that the lesion in his left calf had a favourable evolution,” a statement from the Chilean Football Federation read.

“The integration to the normal training will depend on the recovery of the player.

“As a result, the player is ruled out of the match on Sunday June 18 against Cameroon.”