For the essential 2026 World Cup match during which Brazil play in opposition to Norway, Lucas Paquetá received’t be a part of the squad or on the bench after a latest damage left him unavailable.
The rationale Paquetá is just not taking part in in opposition to Norway is a muscle damage to the again of his left thigh, as confirmed by the Brazilian Soccer Confederation (CBF). The midfielder picked up the damage throughout Brazil’s 2-1 victory over Japan within the Spherical of 32 and was unable to proceed after halftime.
His absence opens a spot within the lineup after Paquetá had began each match for Brazil earlier than the damage, which proves how essential the midfielder has been for Carlo Ancelotti.
Carlo Ancelotti on Paquetá
Dropping Paquetá is a vital setback for Brazil due to the stability he brings in midfield. Even so, Ancelotti expressed confidence within the choices out there to exchange him relying on the tactical strategy for the match.
Ancelotti described the midfield state of affairs (Lars Baron/Getty Photos)
The supervisor defined that a number of gamers are able to filling the function, as he detailed: “We’ve gamers in our squad with the standard of Paqueta however every with totally different traits, like Danilo, who’s totally different from Gabriel Martinelli, from Matheus Cunha, from Ederson.”
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Ancelotti stated: “The selection will rely on how our group performs, considering the opponent’s power. Defensively, we’d like somebody on the left like Paqueta, and each Martinelli and Danilo can try this. With the ball, they should successfully fill the left midfield function.”
The following match
This spherical has proved that no group can loosen up, irrespective of how good they appear on paper earlier than the match. Nevertheless, the bracket has already been set, with the winner of this match advancing to face both England or Mexico within the quarterfinals.




















