Ivory Coast vs Portugal – Drogba given all-clear to start

Robbie Morris | 15.06.2010

Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba has been given the green light to play with a protective cast on his injured arm against Portugal. The game kicks off at 3pm.

FIFA have given Drogba clearance to play with the cast, and Sven Goran Eriksson’s Ivorian side will be boosted by their talisman’s return. Drogba is 9/2 to open the scoring.

The Chelsea striker had feared that his entire World Cup was over when he broke his elbow during Ivory Coast’s recent friendly win against Japan, but he seems to have healed miraculously.

And with their star striker completing such a remarkable recovery, Ivory Coast will now be even more confident of starting their World Cup with a victory.

Can Drogba inspire Ivory Coast to an opening win? They are 23/10 to beat Portugal. See the full Ivory Coast vs Portugal market.

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Author

Robbie Morris

Robbie studied sports journalism at the University of Gloucestershire, an establishment chosen for its proximity to Cheltenham racecourse, where he was a season ticket holder. Upon graduation, Robbie was a contributor to GolfPunk, a national magazine aimed at ridding golf of its traditionalist image, before joining the news.ladbrokes team.