Will Brazil remain on track for World Cup glory? On Monday, the Seleção had to fight back from a goal down to beat Japan 2-1 in Houston thanks to Casemiro’s towering header, before Gabriel Martinelli snatched victory right at the death. However, that victory came at a cost, with another of Carlo Ancelotti’s key starters suffering a potentially tournament-ending injury.

So now, Brazil will face a Norway team more than capable of condemning them to their earliest World Cup exit since 1990. Ahead of this blockbuster clash on Sunday, Ancelotti has some key selection decisions to make.

Neymar availability update: A starting lineup spot is up for grabs

In a potential major blow to Brazil’s World Cup hopes, two of their starters are currently sidelined. Against Haiti, Raphinha suffered a hamstring injury and, despite hope that he could be back in time for this tie, he will not make it. Thus, Bournemouth’s Rayan will continue on the right wing.

Meanwhile, Lucas Paquetá was withdrawn at halftime of the win over Japan, with it later confirmed that he has suffered a left thigh injury. This leaves Ancelotti with an interesting conundrum: The midfield duo of Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães has looked completely overrun at times, suggesting that a defensive player such as Fabinho or Danilo should come in alongside.

However, when Paquetá was taken off, it was center-forward Endrick who was chosen as his replacement before match-winner Martinelli came on soon after as a second striker. So, if Ancelotti does lean more into essentially a 4-2-4 formation, could that open the door for Neymar?

After missing the first two group games due to injury, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer came off the bench for a 15-minute cameo against Scotland, much to the delight of all those bedecked in yellow in Miami. This was his first international appearance in 980 days, dating back to October 2023. Having been an unused substitute on Monday, could he be in line for a start in New Jersey?

How Neymar could fit into this Brazil team

The sidelined Paquetá was the nominal No. 10 in this team, a role that could suit Neymar well. Now 34 years old, the Santos attacker is not the dynamic player he once was, so he probably cannot start out wide (and wouldn’t displace this team’s star, Vinícius Júnior, on the left either way).

So, could Neymer start centrally? Well, if this is what Ancelotti goes for, midfield duo Casemiro and Guimarães would be tasked with even more out-of-possession work than before, which could be an issue. However, this could work against Norway: Ståle Solbakken side’s strengths are very much in attack, but they are often vulnerable defensively. So, if Ancelotti wants to make it a “we’ll score more than you” sort of game, he could draft in an extra attacker, with Neymar perhaps in contention to start and looking to add to his eight career World Cup goals.

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