The 26-year-old trained at the Mordovia Arena in Saransk on Monday but his state of fitness was still unclear.
Germany were stunned 1-0 by Mexico in the opening game of their World Cup defence on Sunday as Hirving Lozano finished off a sharp counter-attack that exposed the ragged defending that the four-times winners had displayed in their warm-up games.
Boosted by 2014 Golden Boot winner James Rodriguez and top scorer Radamel Falcao, a confident Colombia will be looking to demolish low-ranked Japan on Tuesday before moving on to tougher Group H rivals Poland and Senegal.
Poland forward Robert Lewandowski will be faced with a defender ominously known as K2 when, at the age of 29, he finally makes his debut at the World Cup finals in Tuesday's Group H match against Senegal.
Dark horse Croatia take on spirited Nigeria in a World Cup opener on Saturday that could leave one side fighting for their tournament lives in the Group of Death.
Son Heung-min sported a shock of dyed yellow hair at the last World Cup in Brazil to stand out from the crowd, but four years on in Russia the South Korean forward is opting for substance over style as he bids to live up to lofty expectations.
It was The Blue Samurai's first win under coach Akira Nishino, who had lost friendlies against Ghana and Switzerland since taking over in April.
Dries Mertens and Michy Batshuayi were also on target for Belgium while Eden Hazard impressed with creativity and speed for the hosts, who start their World Cup campaign on Monday against Panama in Sochi.
'So, clearly, getting out of the group and winning a knockout game would be a real sign of progress. And if you win one, you win more'
World champions Germany survived a late scare to see off Saudi Arabia 2-1 on Friday and claim a first victory this year, putting a five-game winless run behind them as they finalised their World Cup preparations.
Akira Nishino deployed a new formation but endured a disappointing first match in charge with a 2-0 defeat by Ghana
Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has dispatched 300 club jerseys to supporters in his home village of Bambali in Senegal ahead of Saturday's Champions League final against Real Madrid.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
It will have made uneasy viewing for coach Jorge Sampaoli and emphasised more than ever how reliant his side are on their talisman Messi, who has been struggling with a muscle problem.
Five-time European champions Liverpool are in the quarter-finals of this year's competition
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The strip made a memorable debut in the 7-0 thrashing of Maribor in the Champions League group stage, marking Liverpool's biggest ever away win in European competition.
It is urgent that we break the silence around the 'M' word, one ward and gram panchayat at a time, so that women and girls -- irrespective of their financial capacity -- can demand the information and materials they need, says Archana Patkar.
Manchester United climbed back up to second in the table after second-half goals by Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard earned a 2-0 victory at Everton -- their first win in five games in all competitions.
Amit Masurkar's black comedy didn't make it to the next round.
Analysis of the eight groups for the 2018 FIFA World Cup to be held in Russia.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Wednesday
Injuries have blighted Liverpool's start but Adam Lallana is back in full training after damaging his thigh pre-season and is expected to feature while another injury concern, Sadio Mane, also trained on Wednesday after tweaking a hamstring on international duty with Senegal.
Liverpool and Manchester United's globe-trotting squads must shake off the effects of international duty for one of English football's most eagerly-anticipated clashes on Saturday.
Brazil's national Olympic committee (COB) and its head Carlos Nuzman were provisionally suspended by the International Olympic Committee on Friday, a day after the 75-year-old was arrested in Rio de Janeiro in connection with a corruption investigation.
Senegal international Mane faces a three-match suspension from domestic games, although he will be available for Liverpool's Champions League tie at home to Sevilla on Wednesday.
Manchester City's Kompany out of Liverpool clash with calf injury
Tiny Cape Verde Islands catapulted themselves into surprise World Cup contention with a 2-1 victory away to South Africa.
As Christopher Nolan's film Dunkirk celebrates one of history's most successful rescue operations, never-before-seen images document the fate of more than 80,000 Allied troops who failed to escape Dunkirk.
'This initiative is not about finding more sponsors or marketing partners. It's about developing elite basketball prospects'
Rediff Labs analysed the data on happiness, peace and human development for countries all over the world.
Former Manchester United striker Andy Cole is recovering in hospital after undergoing a kidney transplant, the club said in a statement on Friday.
Juergen Klopp has said his Liverpool team must be prepared to play ugly football to secure Champions League qualification following the injury to productive forward Sadio Mane ahead of Wednesday's Premier League clash against Bournemouth.
Smithsonian has just announced the winners for their 14th annual photo contest, which includes the grand prize, readers' choice and 7 category winners. The contest which ran from March 22, 2016 to November 30, 2016 received over 48,000 submissions from photographers in 146 countries and territories. Congratulations to all of the winners!
The ban results from a penalty Lamptey awarded to South Africa in a 2-1 win over Senegal in a 2018 World Cup qualifier in November.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Monday
Sadio Mane struck four minutes into stoppage time to give Liverpool a last-gasp 1-0 win over derby rivals Everton that lifted them into second place in the English Premier League.
The above map explains the freedom of expression index for each country. United States, Poland and Spain are in the first three places with 5.73, 5.66 and 5.62 as their scores respectively
Arsenal eased past second-tier Reading 2-0 with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scoring twice, while Newcastle United romped to a 6-0 win over 10-man Preston North End and Hull City won 2-1 at Bristol City.
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