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The eyes of the world will be on the five-time world champions and, in particular, on one player: Neymar.
At 34, the number 10 is already a legend of the Brazilian national team and remains the all-time leading goalscorer in the history of the ‘Amarelinha’, with 79 goals.
In recent years, however, his career has been marred by a series of injuries, which have kept him off the pitch on several occasions, both for his club and for the national team.
Nominated nine times for the ‘Ballon d'Or’, Neymar has not played for the national team since October 2023. But his return to Santos, where he helped the club avoid relegation last year, has reignited hopes of seeing him back on the pitch for Brazil.
Carlo Ancelotti included the forward in the World Cup squad, but he has yet to feature in Brazil’s first two matches due to a calf injury.
The Italian manager has confirmed, however, that Neymar will be on the pitch against Scotland today.
It is not yet known whether he will start or come off the bench. It also remains to be seen in which position he will be deployed.
Another key question is who will replace Raphinha, a nominee for the ‘Ballon d'Or’ award. The Barcelona star had to leave the match against Haiti after suffering a thigh muscle injury.
Selected by Ancelotti to play on the right wing, he is likely to be replaced by Luiz Henrique of Zenit St Petersburg or by Rayan of Bournemouth.
