DOHA —
Brazil are confident that Neymar will return to lead their bid to win a sixth
World Cup despite the world’s most expensive player suffering an ankle injury
in their opening match in Qatar.
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The Brazil captain
came off late in Thursday’s 2–0 win over Serbia with what was later diagnosed
as a sprained ankle and has since been ruled out of their second Group G outing
against Switzerland on Monday.
Doubts have even
been raised in some quarters that he might struggle to feature again at the
tournament, which finishes with the final in Doha on December 18.
But defender
Marquinhos, who is also a teammate of the forward at Paris Saint-Germain, said
Neymar has since been spending his days undergoing intensive physiotherapy in
an attempt to recover full fitness as soon possible.
“At the time it was
difficult for him and after the game he was sad, which I think is normal given
how much he has dreamt of this,” center-back Marquinhos said at a press
conference in the
Qatari capital on Sunday.
“Now, after the
tests and the treatment, he is doing physiotherapy 24 hours a day which shows
how much he wants to be back with us.”
“We don’t know
when, but we hope it’s as soon as possible.”
Brazil coach Tite
insisted in the immediate aftermath of the win over Serbia that the 30-year-old
Neymar would definitely play again at the tournament, but this time he was
rather more measured when pressed on the subject of the superstar’s fitness, as
well as that of right-back Danilo.
“I believe that
Neymar and Danilo are going to play again at this World Cup. I do. But
medically, clinically, I am in no position to say anything,” he admitted.
A Brazil win
against Switzerland at Doha’s Stadium 974 could be enough for them to secure a
place in the last 16 with one group game to spare, depending on the result of
the earlier Group G match between Cameroon and Serbia.
They would then play a last-16 tie on either December 5 or
6.
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