The frontman tore a thigh muscle in the act of powering home a penalty in the 4-2 victory over Colombia on July 2, and was expected to be sidelined for at least three weeks.

But Crespo has revealed he has been running in training and is hopeful he will feature in the grudge match.

"I'm working hard to achieve that [to play on Sunday]" he told Argentinian TV station TyC Sports.said. "I'm heading in a good direction. We'll see if I can play a little bit."

He joked: "Perhaps I'll play for five minutes if we are 3-0 ahead.

"I have the misfortune of not being able to play yet, but these guys are doing things very well and I am very happy about that."

Roberto Ayala, meanwhile, believes anything less than reaching the final would have been a failure.

He said: "We have completed our minimum goal. I hope we can clinch the title at the weekend."