Villa to undergo tests

VIENNA: Spain striker David Villa will have tests on his injured leg. Villa limped off with a pulled leg muscle after taking a free kick during Thursday’s semi-final against Russia. “Today, Villa is going to undergo some tests in Vienna,” the Spanish football federation said on Friday. “We will make another statement when we have spoken to a doctor and received the results.” — AP

‘Pitch should be fine’

VIENNA: The playing surface at the Ernst Happel Stadium for the final between Spain and Germany on Sunday is expected to be in excellent condition despite the spectacular thunderstorms of the past two days. The playing surface appeared to stand up to the conditions, however, and UEFA spokesman Thomas Giordano said that even the forecast sporadic showers shouldn’t cause problems because conditions over the next three days are expected to be mostly fine. “Even though it rained quite a lot we were satisfied with the playing surface after the match, so we are quite confident that the pitch will be in excellent condition for the game. — AP