Arturo Vidal will sit out Chile's World Cup opener against Australia with a lingering knee injury.
Many members of the media are convinced that Vidal will not play in the tournament at all with the belief that he was rushed back from knee surgery to play in a friendly against Northern Ireland last week.
“(Vidal) is in a good mood. He’s mentally and technically very skilled and if he’s OK he’s going to play (against Australia),” Marcelo Diaz said in translated comments.
“He’s very important but we know that with Chile, it’s a team effort. We have more players who can do just fine.
“It’s going to be defenders, midfielders and attackers who will cover the area (Vidal usually occupies).”