Neymar came off the bench against Scotland — but will he start against Japan?
After coming on for the final 15 minutes against Scotland, will Neymar feature against Japan? Ancelotti holds the cards. Brazil are already through from Group C.
Fifteen minutes. That was all Brazil needed to be reminded that Neymar still exists at this World Cup. After sitting out the matches against Morocco and Haiti, the No. 10 came on in Wednesday's 3–0 win over Scotland and reignited the question that won't leave supporters' minds: will he play against Japan?
The answer, for now, rests with Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian manager has already shown he prefers to tread carefully with his star — and for good reason. Neymar arrived at the tournament short of match sharpness, and playing 15 minutes is a very different proposition from lasting 90.
Brazil, it should be noted, are already through to the round of sixteen with a perfect record in Group C, according to the Golmetria model. Japan come through from Group F on a less certain path — and the model gives Brazil a 62% chance of advancing through the bracket that opens up from here.
Against Scotland, the team functioned without Neymar for the vast majority of the match. That could give Ancelotti reason to stay cautious — or it could be the signal that the No. 10 needs more minutes to rediscover his rhythm before the tournament reaches the knockout stage.
One thing is certain: the World Cup waits for no one. And whether Neymar ends up as protagonist or supporting act in this pursuit of a sixth title, only the next match will start to provide the answer.