Peru's Pizarro faces Copa fitness race

BERLIN, May 12, 2011 (AFP) - Peru striker Claudio Pizarro of Werder Bremen faces a race to be fit in time for July's Copa America after picking up an injury in training, his club said Thursday.

Former Chelsea star Pizarro, 32, suffered a torn muscle in his right thigh while training with his German league club on Wednesday and will miss Saturday's final league game of the season at Kaiserslautern.

But Bremen have said the striker may be fit for the Copa America which will take place in Argentina from July 1 to 24.

"He will rest for three weeks and will put in some individual training before joining the Peru team to prepare for the tournament," said Bremen's director of sport Klaus Allofs.

This season, Pizarro has scored nine goals in 22 Bundesliga matches and got back into the Peru team after a three year absence

Posted in: Peru