by Brazil agency
Published in 05/12/2022 at 08:13
With the return of striker Neymar, Brazil will face South Korea from four o’clock in the evening (Brasilia time) this Monday (5) at Stade 974 in search of a place in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Cup.
The return of the 10th seed to the Brazilian national team is good news, as he missed the victory over Serbia and the loss against Cameroon due to a right ankle injury. Confirmation of the presence of the Paris Saint-Germain (France) striker in the squad came after the team’s last training session last Sunday (4).
“Regarding Neymar, he will train this afternoon. When you train, you are in the game,” Tite said in a pre-activity press conference. Because the striker has trained well, a return is justified.
Another key comeback confirmed by the coach, Danilo, who can improvise on the left side, a position not available to him (Alex Telles has been left out and Alex Sandro has not yet recovered from injury). In this way, the starting lineup should be: Alisson; Eder Militao, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva and Danilo; Casemiro, Lucas Paqueta and Neymar; Ravinha, Richarlison and Vinicius Jr.
Brazil and South Korea have faced each other seven times in history, with six wins for Brazil and only one for South Korea. The most recent encounter was a 5-1 loss to Tete FC in a friendly match played in June this year. But even with such a positive prognosis, defender Thiago Silva says he expects a tough encounter in the Round of 16: “Tomorrow is very tough. We know the quality of Korea, a team that plays forward and likes possession. We need to reduce their momentum so they can rank up. We have to work hard for this. The last match has nothing to do with the round of 16 of the World Cup.”
Portugal coach Paulo Bento said in an interview that Neymar’s presence is an additional concern for South Korea: “We would be hypocritical if we said it would be better to face Brazil. With Neymar. But honestly, I would prefer the best players to be there. But the coach said that regardless of the formation Brazil, he will try his best: “We will play the best possible match and we will have the best strategy for the competition. With a great team.
The South Korean side arrived enthusiastic about contention after finishing second in a group featuring more traditional sides such as Portugal and Uruguay. Moreover, striker Son Heung-min’s team received an extra dose of motivation by defeating Cristiano Ronaldo’s side 2-1 in the final matchday of the group stage.
Japan and Croatia
Japan and Croatia will meet this afternoon at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah to see who will face the winner from Brazil and South Korea.
The Europeans, who are currently second in the world, are the big favorites. However, the Japanese arrived with great enthusiasm after their victory in the first stage against two teams that previously won the World Cup title, Spain and Germany.
