look news india
Rio de Janeiro, November 2 (HS). Veteran forward Neymar and Real Madrid youngster Andrique have not been included in Brazil's squad for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay. The Brazilian Football Confederation gave this information on Friday.
Neymar, Brazil's all-time top scorer with 79 goals in 128 international matches, returned to action for his club Al Hilal last month after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament almost a year ago.
Brazil manager Dorival Junior said it was too early to recall the 32-year-old for matches against Venezuela on November 14 and a home match against Uruguay five days later.
“He has made a full recovery, but he has only played a few minutes, and that was a big reason,” Dorival said in a press conference. “By next year, he will have more time to play, he will fully regain his confidence.”
Andrique, an 18-year-old forward who has scored three goals in his first five international matches, played just 26 minutes in Brazil's October qualifiers against Chile and Peru.
He also did not get opportunities with Real Madrid, he was not a substitute player for the Spanish club in the last three matches.
Brazil are currently fourth in the 10-team South American qualifying zone standings with 16 points from 10 games, six points behind leaders Argentina. The top six teams in the group will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The seventh-place team will advance to the inter-continental playoffs.
The Brazilian team is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Waverton (Palmeiras), Bento (Al-Nassr), Ederson (Manchester City).
Defenders: Danilo (Juventus), Wenderson (Monaco), Abner (Lyon), Guilherme Arana (Atletico Mineiro), Murillo (Nottingham Forest), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain). .
Midfielders: Andre (Wolverhampton), Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle), Gerson (Flamengo), Lucas Paqueta (West Ham), Andreas Pereira (Fulham), Raphinha (Barcelona).
Forwards: Rodrigo (Real Madrid), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), Luiz Henrique (Botafogo), Igor Jesus (Botafogo), Estevao (Palmeras), Savinho (Manchester City).
