Cote d'Ivoire coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has hinted star striker Didier Drogba could start against Brazil in their Group G clash on Sunday.

Drogba broke his arm in a World Cup warm-up match against Japan but he made a miraculous recovery to feature off the bench in Cote d'Ivoire's opener against Portugal while wearing a special FIFA-approved protective cast.

"It wouldn't be surprising if Drogba plays from the start against Brazil," said Eriksson. "He came on for 25 minutes against Portugal and it went well. It is going to be a difficult game, but looking at what we did against Portugal, we are capable of creating a surprise."

The 32-year-old Chelsea forward came off the bench to replace his club teammate Salomon Kalou in the 66th minute during the 0-0 draw on Tuesday and he missed a goalmouth scoring chance in the injury time.

However, Drogba's talismanic status in the team means his inclusion against Brazil would surely lift the African side's chances of springing an upset at Soccer City on Sunday.