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Brazil can count on key trio Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho, for their World Cup warmup against Portugal here on Wednesday although Ronaldo's participation will be limited to half of the match.

Ronaldo scored twice for Inter Milan against Brescia on Sunday in only his second full game in an injury-wracked two and a half years.

But the 25-year-old former world footballer of the year suffered cramp in both legs after the match, preventing him from training with the national squad on Monday.

Ronaldo's personal physiotherapist Nilton Petrone has given him injections to control the cramps, while the player himself said he was confident the problem would improve as he played more.

"I've been told that this is normal when you haven't played much, but that the cramps will go away as I play more matches," he said.

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said he wanted Ronaldo to ease back to fitness and therefore would only use him for 45 minutes, as he did in the last international against Yugoslavia, a 1-0 victory.

"I'm very satisfied with Ronaldo's recovery," said Scolari. "My concern now is that he does not play too many matches, which is why he will only play 45 minutes against Portugal."

But Ronaldo desperately wants to play on Wednesday and revive the so-called 'Triple R' as he is expected to team up with Barcelona midfield star Rivaldo and 22-year-old Paris Saint Germain midfielder Ronaldinho for the first time since the 4-2 victory over Argentina in 1999.

"I remember that match well, especially as we beat Argentina," said Ronaldo, whose wife and son have travelled from Italy to watch the Portugal match.

"My first priority is the World Cup and I hope this match helps to bond together the team."

Asked whether he feared another injury could keep him out of the action in South Korea and Japan, Ronaldo said: "Footballers go on to the field with one aim, to play. So if an injury happens, there's nothing you can do so I can only cross my fingers and hope it doesn't happen to me."

Barcelona officials would prefer that Rivaldo does not play in order to rest his troublesome left knee ahead of this month's European Champions League semi-finals, but national team doctor Jose Luis Runco said the player was fit enough.

Scolari said "90 percent of the team playing on Wednesday are the World Cup squad", although there is still no place for either veteran striker Romario or for Mario Jardel, a local hero after scoring 37 times for Sporting Lisbon this season.

Portugal meanwhile step up their World Cup preparations by welcoming back influential Real Madrid midfielder Luis Figo, Paulo Sousa and goalkeeper Vitor Baia as they seek to erase memories of the 4-1 defeat to Finland in their last match.

Source (AFP)