Neymar Jr. is fit to play for 90 minutes against Norway in the FIFA World Cup 2026, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed. He also talked about the availability of his other recovering attacker, Raphinha, confirming that the Barcelona star is ready to play a part in the last-16 clash with Erling Haaland's side.
Raphinha returned to training on Friday after two weeks out with a hamstring injury sustained during Brazil's group-stage win over Haiti. The forward is not ready to start, Ancelotti said, but could feature from the bench.
"Raphinha is progressing very well," Ancelotti told reporters on Saturday. "He is still not at 100%, but he is available to be on the bench and to be able to play a few minutes or be useful at certain moments. He recovered very well and very quickly. We are very happy with this because Raphinha is a very, very important player for the team."
Brazil will be, however, without Paquetá after the midfielder suffered a hamstring strain in their 2-1 win over Japan in the previous round, leaving Ancelotti to reshuffle his midfield. Bruno Guimarães said alongside fellow midfielders, he will prioritise ensuring Haaland is left stranded up front with no supply. Ancelotti, meanwhile, said the prospect of knockout football always brought concern, but insisted his players were ready. "I am worried, as usual," he said. "But worried does not mean anxious. I am confident. We improved, and I hope we can improve again tomorrow."
Even though Neymar is fit to play for 90 minutes, Ancelotti is not expected to start him. Rayan and Endrick are likely to start for the five-time champions as the services of the experienced campaigner could come in handy if the match goes to penalties.
The Norwegians, spearheaded by prolific striker Haaland, have been riding the crest of a wave at the World Cup, winning three of their four games to captivate the nation. In four attempts, Brazil have still never beaten Norway. Yet the pragmatic coach Ståle Solbakken warned his players not to get carried away. "We need to play the match, not the circumstances. We need to make sure that we don't play according to the occasion, but that we simply play the game," he told reporters on Saturday.
"We are a team that can't wait for Brazil because we are an offensive-minded team. During 90 minutes or 120 minutes against Brazil, you need to defend for longer or shorter periods, and then we have to be at our best there," he added.
