Stranger things have happened, but it's not looking good for Mexican midfielder Andres Guardado's chances of playing in the Confederations Cup playoff Oct. 10 against the United States.
Guardado's club, PSV Eindhoven, announced that Guardado is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks with an ankle injury he suffered last week in a Champions League match against Manchester United.
The playoff against the United States is just under three weeks away.
Guardado captained Mexico during El Tri's Gold Cup win this summer, and was named the tournament's best player. His loss will be felt heavily by Mexico, as there are few like-for-like replacements for Mexico's interim manager, Ricardo Ferretti, to look to, and certainly none of Guardado's quality.
Contact The18 Staff Writer Sam Klomhaus at Klomhaus@The18.com or follow him on Twitter @SamKlomhaus