Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Brazil faces Japan in the World Cup round of 32 on Monday in Houston, with an upset possible for the Seleção.
- The team's manager is still determining his best lineup and is missing one of his top attacking players — Neymar.
- A historic opponent could provide the perfect opportunity for Neymar to rediscover his form in a tight knockout match.
It may only be the World Cup round of 32 — something we've never experienced before following the tournament's expansion — but Brazil will need to be at their best to avoid an early, ignominious elimination. Carlo Ancelotti's team take on Japan in Houston on Monday afternoon, with many believing that the Samurai Blue could upset the Seleção in the Lone Star State.
Ancelotti is missing one of his best attacking players, and is still yet to figure out his best lineup, so could Brazil's all-time leading scorer be included in the XI at NRG Stadium?
Neymar injury update: Set for another cameo off the bench
During Brazil's very comfortable 3-0 victory over Scotland in Miami on Wednesday, more than any of the goals, the loudest cheer of the night was reserved for Neymar's introduction off the bench. Having missed the first two matches due to a calf strain, he came on for the final 15 minutes, replacing Matheus Cunha.
This wasn't just Neymar's first appearance of the summer. He had not played for Brazil, remarkably, since a World Cup qualifying defeat to Uruguay in Montevideo in October 2023, a gap of 980 days. Looking ahead to the knockouts, even with Raphinha sidelined, it does seem unlikely that Neymar will be included in the starting XI against Japan, with Ancelotti set to stick with Rayan on the right-wing. Nevertheless, it does seem likely that the 34-year-old will feature at some stage and, given how tight this tie could be, he may be poised to play an important role.
Neymar hoping to another meeting with his favorite opponents
As mentioned, Neymar is Brazil's all-time record goalscorer, surpassing Pelé's record by bagging a brace against Bolivia at the Mangueirão in September 2023, just before his national team hiatus. Of these goals, eight have come at World Cups, bagging four on home soil in 2014, two in Russia and two more in Qatar. Well, if he is going to become only the sixth man to score at four different World Cups, Japan could be the ideal opponents.
National teams Neymar has scored 3+ goals against
Nation | Neymar goals against |
|---|---|
Japan | 9 |
Peru | 6 |
Bolivia | 5 |
United States | 5 |
Colombia | 4 |
Croatia | 4 |
Ecuador | 4 |
Korea Republic | 4 |
Argentina | 3 |
China PR | 3 |
South Africa | 3 |
Argentina | 3 |
More than 11 percent of Neymar's international goals, nine out of 79, have been scored against Japan, making them his favorite opponents by quite a substantial distance. These have come in only five encounters with the Samurai Blue, never failing to score against them.
Neymar'a appearances vs. Japan complete list
- October 2012: Friendly. Stadion Wrocław. Brazil 4-0 Japan - 2 Neymar goals.
- June 2013: Confederations Cup. Estádio Mané Garrincha. Brazil 3-0 Japan - 1 Neymar goal.
- October 2014: Friendly. Singapore National Stadium. Brazil 4-0 Japan - 4 Neymar goals.
- November 2017: Friendly. Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Brazil 3-1 Japan - 1 Neymar goal.
- June 2022: Friendly. Japan National Stadium. Japan 0-1 Brazil. 1 Neymar goal.
One of his four international hat-tricks came in this fixture, bagging all four during a friendly win in Kallang 12 years ago. Thus, history suggests that if anything is going to help the 34 year old rediscover his best form it is a meeting with Japan, so could he be the hero in Texas?
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