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While the World Cup in Qatar kicks off on Nov. 20 when the host nation faces Ecuador, there are plenty of decisions that managers will need to make prior to that. Provisional rosters of up to 55 players have already been finalized as of Oct. 21, but those will need to be trimmed to 26 players by Nov. 13. But for any players injured between now and then, managers are left with quite a decision.

One such example is Raphael Varane of France. The center back has been critical to the success of Les Blues and Manchester United but he left United's draw with Chelsea on Saturday, October 22 due to a muscular injury. Initially, fears were that Varane would miss the entire World Cup but reports suggest that the injury isn't as bad as it was first believed to be. His recovery time could be about three weeks, putting his return to play at about Nov. 13 when rosters need to be trimmed down.

While that would likely see Varane miss France's first World Cup game against Australia on Nov. 22, it leaves open the possibility that he'd be available for their remaining group stage games facing Denmark and Tunisia. But it's a high risk gamble for manager Didier Deschamps and other bosses who might be in similar predicaments. What happens if Varane takes longer to recover than expected, or if he reinjures himself in training, or has another injury related setback? 

The selection process

While 26-man rosters are due on Nov. 13, that doesn't mean that changes can't be made between then and a team's first match. Players must be released by their clubs on the next day, Nov. 14, giving managers five to six days to examine their squad and see who is fit for selection. If someone isn't fit to go for a team's first match, changes can be made until 24 hours before their first match from the provisional roster that has already been confirmed. It's also why it benefits the manager to name deep provisional lists with club teams playing heavy schedules between now and the World Cup. Any players headed to the World Cup that pickup injuries can be dropped from the roster but must be replaced by players who were named on that provisional list.

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This means that Deschamps' deadline for deciding if Varane can contribute to his World Cup squad is Nov. 21 before facing Australia. If Varane is already expected to be fit for the second match, it makes sense for Deschamps to call him up in his final roster because the risk is minimal if he needs to be replaced. The France boss would have about a week to observe Varane and see where his recovery is.

This is an important timeframe because with most minor injuries between now and Qatar, players could miss the first game but still be available for the majority of the World Cup. Managers will need to determine the risk, weighing the importance of the injured player with the depth in their squad if the player suffers a setback and can't play after being locked into the roster. Most World Cups these kinds of decisions are few and far between, a tournament in the summer months means most players injury status is known well ahead of time. But the Qatar World Cup presents a host of great unknowns, and the injury issue is one managers will have to deal with on the fly as they weigh exactly how likely a slightly banged up player will be to contribute for the next month during a tournament with rosters that can't be changed once it begins.