(Adds background, quotes in paras 2, 4-8)
By Erik Kirschbaum
BREMEN, June 17 - Sweden striker Zlatan
Ibrahimovic will probably not play in their final Group B match
against England on Tuesday due to a groin injury, team doctor
Magnus Forssblad told a news conference on Saturday.
He said tests on Ibrahimovic in Bremen on Friday showed that
the groin injury he suffered in the warm-up before Thursday's
Paraguay match was not severe but could worsen if he returns to
action too soon.
"The MRI revealed a small muscle rupture," Forssblad said.
"But he feels much better today. We decided to do rehab today
and tomorrow we will see. He probably will not play against
England."
Ibrahimovic, who has scored 18 goals in 40 matches for
Sweden, played only 45 minutes of Thursday's 1-0 win over
Paraguay in Berlin.
The Juventus striker, 24, has said he felt pain in his left
groin before the match. He was seen holding his leg and
grimacing as he walked off the pitch at halftime.
Sweden coach Lars Lagerback said he had followed advice from
the squad's medical staff and taken him off. Ibrahimovic was
replaced by the bustling Marcus Allback.
"Of course, you want your players to be fit and Zlatan is a
very important player for us," Lagerback said on Saturday at
their training base in Bremen.
"But that's how it is in football. That happens."
The Swedes play England on Tuesday needing a point to
guarantee qualification for the second round.
But Forssblad, when pressed, said Ibrahimovic could in
theory play if Tuesday's match was the World Cup final.
"Maybe," he said when asked that question. "There are no
serious risks for Zlatan to play. The only risk is that it could
get worse."
Group leaders England have already qualified for the second
round after two wins but need a point against Sweden to top the
table. Trinidad & Tobago, who held the Swedes to a goalless draw
in their opener last Saturday, face Paraguay on Tuesday.