Road to Recovery

Durban, South Africa - Midfielder Cesc Fabregas has been cleared by team doctors and is available to play in Spain's World Cup semifinal clash with Germany on Wednesday (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 1:30 pm ET).

But the question remains whether or not he will see any action.

Fabregas underwent a series of scans after hurting his right leg during a practice session on Monday. The Arsenal star rested on Tuesday, skipping a team practice and was later deemed fit.

"The tests rule out any type of bone injury, so the player could be available to play against Germany," the Spanish football federation said in a statement.

It will now be up to Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque to decide what kind of role, if any, Fabregas will have against the Germans.

Fabregas is one of the best midfielders in the English Premier League, but he isn't a regular starter for his country.

His playing time has been scarce in South Africa, with del Bosque limiting him to three substitute appearances and just 93 minutes of action in five games.

Part of the problem is that Spain has an abundance of world-class midfielders to choose from, including Barcelona teammates Xavi and Andres Ineista, who have an almost telepathic relationship on the field.

But even before the injury, Fabregas was being considered for a spot in the starting line-up against Germany after a strong performance against Paraguay in the quarter-finals.

Spain struggled to break down the South Americans, failing to convert any of their scoring chances in the opening 45 minutes.

Early in the second half, del Bosque substituted ineffective striker Fernando Torres for Fabregas, switching from a 4-1-3-2 formation to a 4-1-4-1.

The tactical switch worked, as Spain was reinvigorated after changing systems, with Fabregas helping to orchestrate the attack from his position in central midfield.

Del Bosque might use him as "super sub" again, or could throw him into the starting 11 at the expense of Torres and employ a 4-1-4-1 formation right from the start.

As for Germany, they will be without one of its key performers against Spain --Thomas Mueller picked up a second yellow card versus Argentina in the quarter-finals, earning a one-game suspension.

German coach Joachim Loew wouldn't tip his hand during a Tuesday press conference as to who exactly would replace Mueller on the right side of midfield, saying only it would be either Piotr Trochowski, Toni Kroos or Cacau.

None of the three are an ideal replacement for the hard-working Mueller, who has demonstrated a keen eye for goal, and made dangerous runs into the box.

But Loew maintains he intends to use the same attacking philosophy against the Spanish that he has employed up to this point in the tournament.