Germany captain Michael Ballack has been given the all-clear to train on Wednesday as he continues to battle back from a calf injury.

The Chelsea midfielder picked up the problem in last Friday's friendly success against Colombia and has not trained since.

He had been expected to struggle to be fit for the World Cup opener against Costa Rica on Friday.

However, a German Football Association spokesman said: "The medical department is working flat out and Michael Ballack is making progress in his recovery.

"He will be able to train later today (Wednesday)."

Germany are also scheduled to play Group A matches against Poland on June 14 and Ecuador six days later.