Venezuela vs. Brazil (November 14, 2024) Pregame

On By Littum

Nov 13 (Reuters) – Brazil coach Dorival Jr said striker Vinicius Jr would start Thursday’s South American World Cup qualifier against Venezuela in place of Rodrygo.

Vinicius Jr, who missed Brazil’s wins over Peru and Chile last month with a neck injury, will be back in the starting line-up after Real Madrid team-mate Rodrygo picked up a muscle injury in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Osasuna in LaLiga.

Compatriot Eder Militao will have surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury sustained in the same match.

“I think we’ve had some very complicated situations recently. Unfortunately, one injury after another… now with Militao,” Dorival said at a news conference on Wednesday.

Dorival added that midfielder Andre and left back Guilherme Arana will be assessed to see if they are fit to face Uruguay next week as they missed training for medical reasons.

“A more detailed assessment will be made after the Venezuela game so we can make the necessary changes. For now we will try to recover from the way the injuries have been handled,” he said.

Brazil’s record goalscorer Neymar returned to his club Al-Hilal last month after a year out with a serious knee injury.

However, he has been sidelined again after picking up a hamstring injury in last week’s 3-0 win over Iranian side Esteghlal in the Asian Champions League Elite.

“Neymar’s return, it’s been gradual. It’s not easy to go through a moment like that. It makes you stronger and more resilient. Nobody wants it to happen, but it did. We’re rooting for them all and praying for a quick return.”

Dorival said his side would look to capitalize on the momentum they have built after winning their last two matches, which left them fourth in the South American qualifiers with 16 points from 10 games.

“If we can repeat what we did in the last two games… we will gain momentum. Nothing is over. We show an improvement, even if it’s not what we were looking for.”

Brazil travel to Venezuela on Thursday and host third-placed Uruguay five days later.

(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City Editing by Toby Davis)