Brazil have been dealt a fresh fitness blow regarding star attacker Neymar, who is now suffering from illness as well as ankle ligament damage.
The 30-year-old was ruled out of the Selecao's 1-0 World Cup win over Switzerland on Monday after sustaining an ankle injury in the previous game against Serbia last week.
It has been confirmed by Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar that Neymar has suffered lateral ligament damage to his right ankle along with a small bone edema, and the Paris Saint-Germain forward is a major doubt for Friday's final Group G clash against Cameroon.
Neymar was unable to watch his teammates secure all three points against Switzerland at Stadium 974, as The Mirror claims that he informed the team doctor he was feeling sick and had a headache.
The 122-cap international was forced to watch the five-time world champions in his hotel room whilst wearing a compression boot to protect his injured ankle.
© Reuters
Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior, who had a second-half goal disallowed in the win over Switzerland, has revealed that teammate Neymar is suffering with flu-like symptoms and he hopes that the PSG attacker can make a speedy recovery.
"Neymar stayed at the hotel with a fever," the 22-year-old told reporters. "We are all rooting for him to recover quickly from illness and his injury."
A sickness bug hit the Brazilian camp over the weekend, with Antony, Lucas Paqueta and Alisson Becker all missing training before the Switzerland match, although the trio were eventually fit to feature in Monday's win.
With Brazil already through to the last 16, Neymar is unlikely to be risked in their final game against Cameroon, and Selecao legend Rivaldo believes that Tite's side will be able to cope without their No.10.
"The team has several other strikers who will undoubtedly come in an perform well, but Neymar is obviously the first choice," the 2002 World Cup winner told reporters via The Sun.
© Reuters
"The group is a strong group and these things happen in football, especially in a high-level competition like the World Cup. But the team is prepared with great strikers and Tite won't have any problems.
"We want Neymar 100% but if it doesn't happen soon, we have others to replace him, a very strong team of 11 and a very good bench."
Neymar has been hampered with injuries during his career at the World Cup, having previously missed the 2014 semi-final with a back problem, while he was not fully fit to represent Brazil in 2018 due to a foot injury.
Should Neymar miss the Cameroon clash, the attacker will be hoping to recover in time for their last-16 tie against one of Portugal, Uruguay, Ghana or South Korea from Group H.
No Data Analysis info
Netherlands
Senegal
Ecuador
Qatar
England
USA
Iran
Wales
Argentina
Poland
Mexico
Saudi Arabia
France
Australia
Tunisia
Denmark
Japan
Spain
Germany
Costa Rica
Morocco
Croatia
Belgium
Canada
Brazil
Switzerland
Cameroon
Serbia
Portugal
South Korea
Uruguay
Ghana