Argentina's Veron to miss South Korea game

PRETORIA (Reuters) -- Midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron will miss Argentina's World Cup Group B match against South Korea at Johannesburg's Soccer City on Thursday with a minor leg muscle injury, coach Diego Maradona said on Wednesday.

Maradona, who confirmed an otherwise unchanged team, said he did not want to run the risk of Veron aggravating his right calf muscle strain and losing the player for the rest of the tournament.

"It's hard to leave Seba [Veron] out but there are also risks playing him. I don't want the World Cup to end for him, I need him. He understood it was the best thing for the squad," Maradona told a news conference.

After one round of matches, South Korea lead the group on goal difference from Argentina after beating Greece 2-0 on Saturday. Maradona's team beat Nigeria 1-0.