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Czech captain Rosicky won't start in Euro quarter
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WARSAW, Poland (AP) Czech Republic captain Tomas Rosicky will not start in the European Championship quarterfinal against Portugal on Thursday.
Rosicky picked up an Achilles tendon injury during a 2-1 win over Greece on June 12 and only resumed training Wednesday. He missed his team's 1-0 victory over Poland on Saturday, when his place in midfield went to Daniel Kolar.
Rosicky may still come on as a substitute against Portugal.
Czech team manager Vladimir Smicer said the influential playmaker will be on the substitutes' bench for the game at Warsaw's National Stadium and "if we are in trouble at the end, he may give it a try and help us."
In a major surprise, coach Michal Bilek named the inexperienced Vladimir Darida to play in Rosicky's position. The 21-year-old midfielder has so far played as a substitute in two warmup games before Euro 2012 against Israel and Hungary.
He was included in the Czech Republic squad for the tournament to serve as midfield cover, because Rosicky had a calf muscle injury before the tournament co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.
Updated June 21, 2012
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