Cape Town: Uruguay striker Diego Forlan is hoping a right thigh injury will not stop him from playing in the third-place playoff match as he attempts to win the top scorer's award at the World Cup.
Uruguay will take on Germany in Port Elizabeth on Saturday. Forlan has four goals in the tournament, one fewer than leading scorers Netherlands playmaker Wesley Sneijder and Spain striker David Villa.
Forlan was replaced in the 84th minute of the 3-2 semifinal loss to the Netherlands on Tuesday due to the injury. He had earlier scored Uruguay's opening goal.
Germany forwards Miroslav Klose and Thomas Mueller are the other players on four goals who are still active in the tournament. Forlan's teammate, Luis Suarez, has three.
"I'm hoping to be there on Saturday," said Forlan, who said he was hurt in the first few minutes of the semifinal match.
Forlan has a total of five goals across two World Cups. He also scored at the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan when Uruguay failed to reach the second round.
The Atletico Madrid striker has scored 28 times for his country, three fewer than Hector Scarone's all-time Uruguay record. At club level, the 31-year-old Forlan has also twice won Europe's Golden Boot award as the continent's top scorer.
Suarez will return from suspension for Uruguay on Saturday. The striker missed the Dutch match after receiving a red card for a handball that stopped Ghana scoring a last-minute winner in the quarterfinals. Uruguay won on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time.
"Now what's left is to play to the death for third place," Suarez said. "Because we know we've had a great World Cup, we don't want to just make do with being among the top four.
"For this squad, the World Cup is not over yet. The World Cup goes on and, just as we wanted to go as far as possible before, now we want to make sure we are among the top three."
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