Neymar is a doubt for the round of 16, and the national team fears the number 10 will be dropped

While Brazil will have this Friday (2), against Cameroon, the chance to confirm the first place in Group G of the World Cup, the doctors of the selection are rushing to speed up Neymar’s recovery in time for the player to play in the round of 16 in the end.

At this moment, the situation of shirt 10 is uncertain. Since suffering a sprained right ankle, on his debut against Serbia, he hasn’t been on the pitch, not even in training at the Grand Hamad Stadium, in Doha, where the squad has been preparing.

There is already an atmosphere of apprehension in the selection regarding how the athlete will react if he cannot play at the beginning of the next phase. The fear is that news that he cannot play will affect the athlete’s morale.

On the morning of Friday (25), the day after the day of the injury, he was quite down, but he heard from the doctors of the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) that, at most, he would be out of the group stage.

This reassured him at the time and kept him in the mood for the competition. It also prevented his situation from affecting the squad’s performance. Coach Tite himself stated, at various times, that the number 10 would play in the tournament again.

But everyone on the coaching staff avoids setting a deadline. While Danilo and Alex Sandro, who are also recovering from injuries, should accompany the delegation to the Lusail stadium, stage of the duel against the Cameroonians, at 4 pm (Brasília time), Neymar will remain at the hotel where the Brazilians are staying.

To speed up the return of the star player, the doctors and physiotherapists of the CBF commission have used both electrotherapy and cryotherapy on the player. But not even that guarantees his return to the first phase of the knockout stage.

Brazil leads Group G, with six points. Switzerland are second with three, while Serbia and Cameroon are level on one point each.

If they confirm the first position in the group, the Brazilians will return to the field on Monday (5), to face the second placed team in Group H, formed by Portugal, Ghana, South Korea and Uruguay.