Emiliano Martínez has given Argentina a boost ahead of their World Cup Round of 32 clash against Cape Verde, confirming he can remove the protection from his finger injury.
What happened to Emiliano Martínez?
The Argentina goalkeeper sustained a finger injury in the warm-up before Aston Villa's Europa League final win over Freiburg.
This injury forced him to miss two warm-up games against Honduras and Iceland.
How is Emiliano Martínez now?
Fortunately for Argentina, Martinez was passed fit to feature in the three group-stage wins against Algeria, Austria, and Jordan.
He only made one save across the three matches, but he will face greater tests in the knockout rounds.
What's next for Emiliano Martínez?
Martinez revealed that he can now play without a finger kit for the next game, which is a significant positive for Argentina.
He decided not to have surgery and has been training with Argentina's goalkeeping coach, Martin Tocalli.
On Saturday, Argentina beat Jordan 3-1, and Martinez played a key part in the win.
The coach, Lionel Scaloni, supported Martinez's decision not to have surgery, and this has given the goalkeeper a confidence boost.
Argentina are also waiting to see if Cristian Romero will be fit to play against Cape Verde, after he sat out the final group game with a knee issue.
Nicolas Otamendi will likely play alongside Lisandro Martinez if Romero is unable to prove his fitness in time.