Sanchez sprains ankle, may miss Cameroon clash

Chilean coach Juan Antonio Pizzi said the Arsenal forward hurt his left ankle in training Thursday and has only done light training in the gym since then.

Chile opens its Confederations Cup campaign without goalkeeper Claudio Bravo and will face a huge blow if Sanchez also does not play.

Alexis Sanchez sprained his ankle in training on Thursday and may miss Chile’s Confederations Cup opener against Cameroon.

Chilean coach Juan Antonio Pizzi said the Arsenal forward hurt his left ankle in training Thursday and has only done light training in the gym since then.

Pizzi says the Chile staff is “optimistic from the images we’ve seen, but we understand and know that the player still feels pain, and that’s why we’ll wait until tomorrow to decide if he plays.”

Chile could open Confederations Cup campaign without two leading players. Goalkeeper Claudio Bravo has not played since sustaining a calf injury in April, and has been ruled out of Sunday’s game.

South American champion Chile faces Cameroon on Sunday, before playing against Germany and Australia in its remaining group stage games.