TROISDORF, Germany _ Didier Drogba practiced Tuesday after two days of rest as Ivory Coast prepared for Friday's Group C showdown with the Netherlands.

After a battering 90-minute effort against an Argentina back line that hounded him but could not prevent him from scoring, Drogba skipped his team's Sunday exhibition game against the local fifth division team in this town south of Cologne.

Coach Henri Michel allowed the entire squad to rest on Monday.

Michel said that Drogba had a sore right ankle that had required attention from trainers, but that it was not serious and he expected the star Chelsea striker to play against the Dutch.

Tuesday's practice was closed, but from a perch outside the small stadium it was possible to see Drogba taking part in a scrimmage near the end of the training session.

Drogba is by far the most prolific striker on a team full of talented attackers. He has 24 goals in only 33 games for his country, including the lone score in the 2-1 loss to the Argentines on Saturday night in Hamburg.

Even if Drogba does not score, the attention he's bound to draw from Dutch defenders could be critical in creating chances for fellow strikers Aruna Dindane and Bonaventure Kalou.

In theory, a draw against the Dutch would still leave Ivory Coast with chances of going through to the knockout round of 16, but a victory would put the Elephants in strong position to finish second in Group C and advance with a subsequent victory over Serbia-Montenegro.

For now, though, the Elephants refuse to consider any possibilities other than winning both games.

"We lost the first game, so we need to win the next ones. We need six points," Michel said.

The Elephants will get a little extra help scouting the Netherlands this week, since Arouna Kone plays for PSV Eindhoven and has played with or faced several of the Oranje.

Page:

1

2