Paquetá Out — Who Steps Up? Botafogo's Danilo Emerges as Frontrunner for the Spot in the Round of 16
With Paquetá ruled out with a grade-2 muscle injury, Botafogo's Danilo has emerged as the favourite to start for Brazil against Norway in the World Cup round of 16.
Brazil's World Cup campaign picked up an unwanted shadow ahead of the round of 16: Lucas Paquetá is out. The grade-2 muscle injury to his left thigh, confirmed after the match against Japan, is expected to sideline the midfielder for the rest of the tournament — and the national team now needs a quick answer.
According to CazéTV reporter Fred Caldeira, the name at the front of the queue is Danilo, from Botafogo. The defensive midfielder has "jumped ahead" in the race for the spot, per the broadcaster. So far, he has featured for only a handful of minutes against Morocco, Haiti, and Japan — nothing that generated much noise, but enough for Ancelotti to know what he has at his disposal.
The Italian manager still has two more training sessions before Sunday's clash against Norway (5/7) at 5 p.m. at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. According to UOL Esporte, Danilo Santos "has everything to be the starter", but Ancelotti is expected to run tests before making his final call.
The decision carries real weight. Brazil head into the round of 16 with a 61% chance of advancing to the quarter-finals, according to the Golmetria model — but losing Paquetá mid-tournament is exactly the kind of blow that throws any tactical plan into disarray. Whoever comes in needs to make the team click, not just fill a gap.
Danilo has a very different profile from the No. 10: he is more about pressing, work rate, and physical presence. This will be a different Brazil against Norway — and it is up to Ancelotti to decide whether that is a problem or a solution.
Sunday will settle it. Or complicate everything.