The world’s most expensive goalkeeper was substituted at half-time in Italy’s FIFA World Cup opener against Paraguay due to the problem, with Federico Marchetti taking his place.
Marchetti now looks set to feature against the All Whites in Nelspruit on Monday morning (NZT).
“The hernia is small but even a small hernia can cause great pain,” says Italy’s medical chief Professor Enrico Castellacci. “It’s not easy to make a prognosis but it’s a small margin and Buffon strongly wants to recuperate.”
Italy are hoping Buffon will be fit to return later in the tournament.
Professor Castellacci added: “There is a desire on Buffon’s behalf to recuperate, a chance that we have no right to take away.”
Andrea Pirlo is the Italian’s other major injury concern, having come into the tournament with a calf problem.
Castellacci had positive news on the AC Milan playmaker, however, revealing: “He has now been subjected to an MRI scan, he is training and is running and things are going according to the schedule set out at the beginning.
“The objective was for him to return in the third game or the last 16 and he should be ready for one of those.”
Story and photo courtesy of www.fifa.com