Paquetá out, Raphinha doubtful, and a 28-year curse: Brazil enter the last 16 with more questions than answers
Injuries complicate Ancelotti's plans ahead of the clash with Norway. Martinelli leads the race to replace Paquetá, but the mystery remains.
Brazil head into the round of 16 with a problem Ancelotti has yet to solve publicly: who replaces Lucas Paquetá, who will most likely play no further part in the tournament?
Two names are in the running. Danilo, from Botafogo, was tested in the starting line-up on Thursday. But on Friday, according to ge, it was Martinelli who spent more time with the first team — and internally he is seen as the favourite. The mystery is expected to last until kick-off this Sunday at 5 p.m. in New Jersey.
Caio Ribeiro, of TV Globo, has made up his mind: "Danilo is someone who tracks back, fills the midfield really well, and still gets forward with quality. That would be my choice," the pundit said on Jornal da Globo. The argument is a defensive one — and it makes sense against a Norway side that has never lost to Brazil in four meetings.
Raphinha, meanwhile, remains sidelined. Brazil's medical staff hope to have him fit for a potential quarter-final, but he is not expected to face the Norwegians.
In the middle of all this, Bruno Guimarães is carrying the team. Four assists in five games, an undisputed starter — and a story few people know: back in February, the Newcastle midfielder recovered from a grade-3 tear in his left thigh at Atlético-MG's training ground, under the care of doctor Rodrigo Lasmar. He came within a whisker of needing surgery. He made it to the World Cup. And he is shining.
If Danilo is selected, Botafogo will have a starter in a World Cup squad for the first time since 1998 — when Bebeto played in the final against France. Twenty-eight years of waiting.
Golmetria's model gives Brazil a 60.81% chance of advancing to the quarter-finals. Whoever comes through will face Mexico or England in Miami on 11 July. The path is there. But first comes Norway — and the curse no Brazilian generation has managed to break.