Monday at the World Cup: How will Brazil cope without Neymar? Can Heung-Min Son kickstart South Korea charge? | Football News

Brazil will face Switzerland in the World Cup on Monday without their talisman Neymar, ruled out by an ankle injury suffered in their opening 2-0 win against Serbia on Thursday, but midfielder Casemiro thinks they have a host of young talent to step in for him.

“We could spend several days talking about Neymar, the player he is, his qualities and how important he is for our team. It’s unavoidable, he is our biggest player, the difference maker in our team,” Casemiro told a news conference on Saturday.

“However, we have other players that have been performing in the same level like Vinicius Jr, Raphinha, Richarlison, Gabriel Jesus…

“We, those who play in the back end, often joke that we feel sorry for our rivals because we can replace Raphinha for Antony, Richalison for Gabriel Jesus. We have Rodrygo, Gabriel Martinelli.

“We have a wide array of options (on the bench). It’s great for us. But it does not change the fact that Neymar is our best player.”

The World Cup favourites trained behind closed doors at the Al Arabi Stadium ahead of their Group G second game against Switzerland.

Elsewhere on Monday, Cameroon and Serbia both look to secure their first points of the tournament – with the losers eliminated – while Cristiano Ronaldo is back in action later in the evening with Portugal able to confirm their place in the round of 16 with a win over Uruguay.

World Cup fixtures – November 27

• Cameroon vs Serbia – Group G, kick-off 10am
• South Korea vs Ghana – Group H, kick-off 1pm
• Brazil vs Switzerland – Group G, kick-off 4pm
• Portugal vs Uruguay – Group H, kick-off 7pm

Shaqiri: We’ve got more experience this time

Midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri said on Sunday that Switzerland were going into their World Cup group-stage match against Brazil with more experience and poise than they did when they drew with the Brazilians at the 2018 World Cup.

Monday’s Group G match in Qatar will be the third time that Switzerland have played Brazil at the World Cup. The teams last met in the group stage of the 2018 tournament in Russia, where they drew 1-1.

Shaqiri, who has represented Switzerland in four consecutive World Cups, said the Swiss felt capable of getting a better result against Brazil this time.

“That was a positive outcome,” Shaqiri said of the 2018 draw. “We are aware of what we can do and I think we have made progress. We have more experience and have been challenged by greater teams since.”

Switzerland have reached the knockout stage in three of their last four World Cups but crashed out at the group stage in 2010. Brazil, unbeaten in qualifying for Qatar, have won the World Cup five times and are favourites to win a record-extending sixth title.

Murat Yakin, Switzerland’s manager, said Neymar’s absence from the Brazilian line-up due to an ankle injury had no impact on the Swiss preparation or tactics.

“I think that team has enough excellent players to build three teams,” Yakin said of Switzerland’s opponents. “The challenge is not going to get easier for us.”

Switzerland edged Cameroon 1-0 in their opening match, and a win against Brazil would see them through to the round of 16 if Serbia fail to win against Cameroon on Monday.

Shaqiri said Switzerland could not afford to squander any scoring opportunities if they wanted to have a chance of defeating the mighty Brazilians.

“If you don’t get a lot of opportunities, you really need to take advantage of them,” he said. “That’s what we want to do tomorrow.”

South Korea calm ahead of Ghana match

South Korea head coach Paulo Bento said he is under no pressure for Monday’s World Cup Group H match against Ghana, where both teams need a victory after dropping points in the first game.

South Korea played out a gritty 0-0 draw with Uruguay but were poor in the final third and Ghana lost 3-2 to Portugal.

The Koreans are tied with Uruguay on one point, behind Portugal on three. Ghana prop up the standings and another defeat would knock them out of the World Cup.

“I said earlier I do not feel any pressure, I never did and never will,” Portuguese Bento told reporters on Sunday.

“During the first game, we had a chance of at least ensuring a third-place finish. In the second game, we will keep this opportunity… we will enter the field with a focus on a win.

“I don’t feel any pressure whatsoever. I would love the players to feel the way I do, but I know they come from a different culture… We will have a difficult game but we are able to do well.”

After a miserable showing at the Cup of Nations this year, when they were dumped out in the group stage with only one point, Ghana are hoping for a better performance in Qatar.

“We have great and utmost respect for a great team in Ghana and the players who compete at a very high level,” Bento said of Otto Addo’s side.

“For our strategy, we have to try to be ourselves. We are very well aware of the skills and how good Ghana are, this will be a match where in some moments we will have the capacity to control the game.

“They have skilled players from a technical standpoint and they are also very quick in attack. We want to control the game, and also the moments when they are in attack.”

The Ronaldo Show wheels back into town

Portugal could qualify early for the next phase of the World Cup with a game remaining if they beat Uruguay on Monday, a task probably much easier said than done.

Uruguay have the World Cup edge in winning the tournament twice, albeit a few generations ago, and are more than familiar with Portugal, having knocked them out of the contest in 2018 in the round of 16.

Although Cristiano Ronaldo stole the show on Thursday, setting a record by scoring in his fifth World Cup in Portugal’s 3-2 win over Ghana, his team lacked inspiration and have much to do to shake off a dismal run of World Cup form since reaching the semi-finals in 2006.

Uruguay, while failing to score any goals or even record any shots on target in their opener against a gritty South Korea on Thursday, were composed, organised and like a team capable of another deep World Cup run, with veterans and neophytes combining seamlessly and moving the ball with confidence.

All five goals of Portugal’s opening game came in a frenetic final 25 minutes likened by coach Fernando Santos to a storm. He said he is untroubled going into the Uruguay match because he knows what needs fixing.

“It’s nothing I’m worried about because I know that my players can do better than that, but that’s football,” he said. “I am totally confident that they can perform much better than this.”

Portugal, with a habit of going down to the wire in the World Cup group stages, may want to avoid that this time with a final match against South Korea, the team that ended Germany’s title defence in 2018.

Equally, Uruguay will want to avoid defeat against Portugal so their fate can remain in their own hands in their final match against Ghana.

Uruguay have looked good since Diego Alonso took over late last year and turned things around in qualifying. He has every player available in his squad, except Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo, who is recovering from thigh surgery.

Alonso’s defence looked sturdy against South Korea and he is blessed with plenty of attacking options through Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani – despite their age – and Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez and Manchester United’s Facundo Pellistri, who looked dangerous on their World Cup debuts.

Alonso expects a tough game on Monday and for the group to be decided in the final match.

“Obviously the second game is key as is the third,” he said. “Whether we qualify or not depends on us.”

Team news

Five-time world champions Brazil could be without midfielder Lucas Paqueta for their next World Cup Group G game against Switzerland.

Brazil were already set to miss their talisman Neymar and reliable full-back Danilo, both ruled out by ankle injuries suffered in their opening 2-0 win over Serbia.

Coach Tite gave no clue about team selection in his news conference on Sunday. But Paqueta was unable to train fully, affecting Tite’s plans to compensate for Neymar’s absence against the Swiss.

Real Madrid prodigy Rodrygo would be the first option if Tite decides to use the same system with four up-front alongside Vinicius, Richarlison and Raphinha.

The versatile 21-year-old forward played in Neymar’s position in three practice games in Turin before the World Cup.

But the option of pairing Fred with his Manchester United team-mate Casemiro to strengthen the midfield is also very much in play, pushing Paqueta forward into a playmaking role if he recovers in time.

Real Madrid’s versatile centre-back Eder Militao is likely to replace Danilo. The 24-year-old played as a full-back in their friendly against Ghana in September and would add the solidity needed to balance the ultra-offensive tactics Tite is deploying.

Another option would be 39-year-old veteran Dani Alves, the only right back available in the squad.

South Korea defender Kim Min-jae is doubtful after suffering a calf injury in the last game, while forward Hwang Hee-chan is unavailable to face Ghana because of a hamstring injury after he was an unused substitute against Uruguay.

Son recently returned from surgery to stabilise a fracture around his eye and played in a black protective mask on Thursday, spearheading the South Korean attack which did not have much impact as they had six attempts at goal but none on target.

Opta stats

Cameroon vs Serbia

• This is the first meeting between Cameroon and Serbia in all competitions since a 4-3 friendly win for the Serbs in June 2010.
• Serbia have lost both of their FIFA World Cup games as an independent nation against African sides, doing so against Côte d’Ivoire in 2006 (2-3) and Ghana in 2010 (0-1).
• Cameroon have now lost each of their last eight matches at the World Cup, with those defeats coming across four tournaments (2002, 2010, 2014 and 2022). Defeat here would equal the longest ever losing run by a nation at the World Cup, set by Mexico between 1930 and 1958 (9 in a row).
• Serbia have lost eight of their 10 World Cup games as an independent nation (80%), the highest loss percentage of any side to have played at least 10 games in the competition.

South Korea vs Ghana

• This is the first meeting between Korea Republic and Ghana since a friendly in June 2014, with Jordan Ayew netting a hat-trick in a 4-0 win for the Black Stars.
• Korea Republic have scored exactly twice in each of their three FIFA World Cup meetings with African nations, beating Togo 2-1 in 2006, drawing 2-2 with Nigeria in 2010, and losing 4-2 to Algeria in 2014.
• Following their 2-0 win against Germany in 2018, and their 0-0 draw with Uruguay on MD1 this year, Korea Republic have kept a clean sheet in consecutive World Cup games for the first time. Their previous two shutouts in the competition came over a period of 16 games between 2002 and 2018.
• Ghana are winless in their last five matches at the World Cup (D2 L3). Defeat here would see them exit in the group stages in consecutive appearances at the competition (also 2014), having reached the knockout rounds in both of their first two (2006 and 2010).

Brazil vs Switzerland

• Both previous meetings between Brazil and Switzerland at the FIFA World Cup have ended in a draw (2-2 in 1950, 1-1 in 2018). No side have Brazil faced more at the competition without ever winning than the Swiss (also two vs Portugal and Hungary).
• Switzerland have won two of their last four meetings with Brazil in all competitions (D1 L1), having failed to win any of their first five (D3 L2). The Swiss have scored exactly once in each of their last six against Brazil.
• Switzerland have won just one of their eight FIFA World Cup games against South American sides (D2 L5), beating Ecuador 2-1 in 2014 in Brasilia.
• Brazil are unbeaten in their last 16 group stage games at the World Cup – no side has ever gone 17 without defeat in the group stages of the competition before (including final and second group rounds in earlier editions).

Portugal vs Uruguay

• This is the second FIFA World Cup meeting between Portugal and Uruguay, with the South Americans eliminating Portugal in the second round of the 2018 edition in Russia.
• Uruguay have won four of their last five FIFA World Cup matches against European nations (including a 2-1 victory over Portugal), though did lose to France in their last such match. The Sky Blue had won just two of their previous 25 such matches before this run (D8 L15).
• Portugal have won just one of their last nine meetings with South American nations in all competitions (D3 L5), beating Argentina 1-0 in a friendly in November 2014.
• Following their 3-2 win against Ghana, Portugal are looking to win their opening two group games for the third time at the World Cup. They previously did so in 1966 and 2006, eventually reaching the semi-finals in both of those editions.

Elsewhere at the World Cup

Iran coach Carlos Queiroz lambasted Jurgen Klinsmann for criticising his team’s World Cup conduct, calling his remarks a “disgrace to football” and urging him to quit his FIFA post, as Iran’s soccer federation demanded an apology.

In comments as an analyst with broadcaster BBC, Germany’s 1990 World Cup winner Klinsmann accused Iran of systematic gamesmanship during their stunning 2-0 stoppage-time win over Wales on Friday and said Queiroz’s record with other national teams made him the right match for Iran.

“That’s their culture and that’s their way of doing it and that’s why Carlos Queiroz, he fits really well in the Iranian national team,” Klinsmann said during an analysis of Friday’s match.

“This is not by coincidence, this is all purposely. This is just part of their culture, that’s how they play it and they work the referee… constantly in their ears, they’re constantly in your face on the field.”

Iran play the United States in a decisive Group B match on Tuesday and have a chance to reach the last 16 for the first time.

Queiroz, 69, who has been a coach with Real Madrid, Portugal and Manchester United and is in his second stint as Iran boss, said no one could hurt the integrity of his team.

“You question my character with a typical prejudiced judgment of superiority,” he said in an open message to Klinsmann, in remarks shared by the Iran team.

“No matter how much I can respect what you did inside the pitch, those remarks about Iran culture, Iran national team and my players are a disgrace to football.”

Klinsmann, speaking to the BBC on Sunday, said his comments had been taken out of context and he would talk to Queiroz and “calm things down”.

“I have never criticised Carlos or the Iranian bench,” he said.

“All I described was their emotional way of doing things, which is actually admirable in a certain way. The whole bench lives the game.

“They’re jumping up and down and Carlos is a very emotional coach, he’s constantly on the sidelines trying to give his players all his energy and direction.”