"He will not travel with the team" - Neymar set to miss Brazil's clash against Argentina
A meeting between Messi and Neymar will be off the books after the Brazil captain was ruled out against Argentina.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi is fit and is set to feature in their World Cup qualifier at home to Brazil on Tuesday. Neymar, on the other hand, will miss out after feeling pain in the adductor region of his thigh.
Neymar will miss Brazil's match vs. Argentina on Tuesday after picking up a thigh injury.
Instead he will return directly to Paris. https://t.co/IZrrvfeAot
Brazil said in a statement:
"Neymar Jr said he felt insecure about the situation and as there is not enough time to carry out complementary exams the technical commission decided to rest the player who will not travel with the team to San Juan, location of Tuesday's game against Argentina.
Argentina are second in South America's 10-team qualifying group, sitting six points behind Brazil. The Seleccaos are the only team from the region to have secured a place at Qatar 2022 World Cup so far. The top four teams in South American qualifying will progress automatically to next year's World Cup finals and the side placed fifth goes into an inter-regional playoff.
Lionel Messi has now scored 79 goals for Argentina 🇦🇷
Passing Pele's record as the top scoring South American in men's international football history 🥇
And he did it with a hat-trick 🐐 https://t.co/GCe7Dck2Wl
Argentina are currently unbeaten in 26 games, a run that includes a 1-0 win over their next opponents Brazil in the Copa America final in Rio de Janeiro in July. La Albiceleste coach Lionel Scaloni insisted that Messi, 34, had fully recovered from a knee and hamstring worry. The coach feels that Messi is now ready for one of the biggest matches in South American football. Speaking ahead of the match, Scaloni said:
'It's going to be a very difficult game. They are the team that leads the qualifiers and they are already through to the finals."
Neymar is technically better than Messi, Ronaldo: Cafu insists on Brazil star
The Brazilian ace has struggled behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of prestigious individual awards. However, former Brazil legend Cafu thinks his fellow countryman remains ahead of the pair:
"Neymar is technically better than Messi, better than Cristiano Ronaldo, but he must assume the responsibility of a leader. One must dedicate themselves 100 percent to football, I'm not better than Neymar, but I am better than other right-backs because I dedicated myself to that. He [Neymar] has to become a captain."