Brazil continued its FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign by taking on Haiti. After a draw against Morocco in their first game of the tournament, Brazil takes on Haiti at the Philadelphia Stadium on June 20, and with the game beginning, every fan only has one question on their mind, which is the whereabouts of Neymar Jr. in the starting XI.ย
The veteran forward was not fit enough to start for the five-time champions in the first game, but he is yet to make an appearance with Brazil, playing their second game. It is worth noting that the Brazilian FA had come forward and revealed that Neymar had not travelled with the squad to Philadelphia and had stayed back in New Jersey to finalise his recovery process.ย
The board revealed that Neymar will be recovering and finalising his recovery at the facilities at the team hotel. It is worth noting that the veteran forward took the field in training for the first time on June 16, where he was seen doing physical conditioning exercises.ย
Furthermore, with the lineups revealed for the clash against Haiti, many fans were disappointed to see Endrick not starting for the Brazilians as well. The teenager has been in good form of late but fails to find a starting spot in Ancelottiโs XI.
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Carlo Ancelotti gave his take on Neymarโs situation
Before the game against Haiti, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti took centre stage and talked about the situation surrounding Neymar. He opined that he is not looking to rush his comeback into the squad.ย
“Neymar is working very hard to recover as quickly as possible. When we called up Neymar, we did it not just because of his technical quality, which is undeniable. But also because of his experience, he could represent an example for the younger players on the team,โ Ancelotti was quoted as saying by NDTV.ย
There is no doubt that Neymar has the ability to make a huge impact for Brazil, and his return would be a big boost to the side, and the five-time champions will hope that their star man returns to the playing XI soon.ย
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