Iupati, Sopoaga expected to play

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SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers expect left guard Mike Iupati, who missed practice Wednesday with a right knee injury, to be in the starting lineup Sunday against the Detroit Lions."Mike's going to be fine, I believe," 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman said Thursday.Chilo Rachal, recently benched as the starting right guard, has been getting work in practice at left guard. Rachal is the top backup at both guard positions -- or the "swing guard." So if Iupati was unable to play, Adam Snyder would likely remain at right guard, with Rachal coming in at left guard. Snyder will be matched mostly against Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.Defensively, the 49ers must contend with Lions receiver Calvin Johnson, the first player in NFL history to have nine receiving touchdowns in the first five games. The 49ers will not have Carlos Rogers shadow Johnson in coverage, 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said.
"We feel basically the same about all of them," Fangio said.It's undetermined whether Shawntae Spencer or rookie Chris Culliver will be the team's third cornerback. The 49ers will employ a lot of nickel coverage against the Lions, who regularly use three wide receivers. Spencer missed last week's game with a toe injury."It becomes a health issue for Shawntae, whether he's healthy or not," Fangio said. "And No. 2, we'll see how it goes from that point forward. If Shawntae is only 85 or 90 percent, then we definitely go with the healthy guy."The 49ers also expect the return of nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga, who missed last week's game with a staph infection."I believe he'll be available to play," Fangio said. "I haven't heard otherwise."

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