Neymar expected to return for Brazil against South Korea
DOHA, Qatar — Brazil received a major boost ahead of its World Cup round of 16 meeting with South Korea when it was revealed superstar forward Neymar is ready to return from injury.
Brazil coach Tite said the Paris Saint-Germain striker is slated to be back in action Monday (2 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App) after sitting out the team's last two group matches following ligament damage sustained in his right ankle during the opener against Serbia.
"Yes," Tite said, when asked about whether he planned to name Neymar in the starting XI. "Neymar will train today in the afternoon, and if he trains well he will play. I don't pass information that is not true."
How badly does Brazil need Neymar
During Brazil's 2-0 victory over Serbia, Neymar was on the receiving end of a crunching tackle from Nikola Milenković and was visibly distressed when being replaced with 10 minutes remaining in the game.
He sat out against Switzerland, and again during the team's shock defeat to Cameroon — a loss that did not affect Brazil's position at the top of Group G.
In other injury news, Brazil will have Danilo back in action, while Alex Telles and Gabriel Jesus will not feature again in the tournament due to injury.
Now 30, Neymar might be running out of chances to add a World Cup title to his career résumé. In 2014, he was injured against Colombia in the quarterfinal and did not play during the team's 7-1 semifinal defeat to Germany.
Brazil was ousted by Belgium in the 2018 quarters but was widely considered one of the favorites to lift the trophy this time, following a resoundingly convincing series of qualifying performances.
South Korea will be a clear underdog but is full of confidence after its thrilling survival act just to make it to this stage. A dramatic winner against Portugal sent the team through despite collecting just one point from its first two matches.
"It will be difficult," Tottenham star Son Heung-min said. "But we will fight to our best ability."
