Andres Guardado injured, in doubt for Confederations Cup playoff

Andres Guardado may miss the Confederations Cup playoff between Mexico and the United States. The Mexican captain was injured in PSV's Champions League win over Manchester United on Tuesday and the club warned that he could be facing a layoff.

Guardado underwent an MRI right after the match that showed damage to his ankle ligaments. The extent of the damage was unclear, with PSV opting to wait for swelling in the ankle to go down before he has another scan.

The Confederations Cup playoff is three weeks away so there isn't a lot of time for Guardado to get fit. If he doesn't play in PSV's match the weekend before the match, it's tough to imagine him playing for Mexico which means that he really has even less time to get fit.

Guardado is in his second season with PSV and has been in sterling form ever since. His place in the Mexico team has only grown, with him serving as the team's talisman in this summer's Gold Cup winning campaign in addition to taking the armband. If he's absent, that's a huge blow to El Tri and a boost to the U.S., who have question marks at right back and would certainly benefit if Mexico's left flank is weakened.