World Cup: Brazil and England struggle with injuries ahead of Round of 16
The knockout stages of the World Cup leave little room for error, with Brazil and England heading into their respective round of 16 clashes with injury concerns surrounding two of their most important players.
Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti has received a timely boost with winger Raphinha returning to training, but the Barcelona star is unlikely to feature against Norway. Meanwhile, England are still awaiting the fitness of Reece James ahead of Sunday’s clash against co-hosts Mexico, with Thomas Tuchel admitting the defender faces a race against time to make the bench.
For Brazil, Raphinh’s return came after a frustrating two-week layoff following a hamstring injury sustained against Haiti during the group stage. While the winger has recovered faster than expected, Ancelotti has made it clear that the striker is not yet ready to play the full game.
“Raphinha is progressing very well. He is still not 100% but he is available to be on the bench and play a few minutes or be useful at certain times,” Ancelotti said on Saturday.
“He recovered very well and very quickly. We are very happy with that because Raphinha is a very, very important player for the team.
BRAZIL IS TRYING TO FIND PAQUETA’S REPLACEMENT
While Raphinha’s return gives Brazil another attacking option on the right alongside Ryan and Endrick, Ancelotti has fresh pain in midfield after Lucas Paqueta was ruled out with a hamstring strain suffered in the win over Japan.
The Italian veteran admitted there is no similar replacement for the West Ham midfielder.
“We don’t have a player of the quality of Lucas Paqueta in the squad, so we have to replace him with another player,” Ancelotti said.
“The characteristics are different. Danilo is different from Gabriel, who is different from Matheus Cunha and Ederson. I will select players based on our game plan.”
Brazil also face another big challenge in the form of Norway captain Erling Haaland, who was one of the most outstanding strikers of the tournament.
“We are concentrating on a good preparation for the game, of course including Haaland’s characteristics, which we have to take into account because he is a very, very dangerous striker,” Ancelotti said.
Midfielder Bruno Guimaraes echoed those concerns, insisting Brazil’s priority will be to cut off supplies to the Manchester City striker.
“We have to try to prevent the ball from going to him,” Guimaraes said. “Just one ball can decide the match.”
ENGLAND WAIT FOR REECE JAMES
England’s injury concerns center around Reece James, whose lingering hamstring problems have already forced him to miss wins over Panama and DR Congo.
The Chelsea defender has not completed a full training session since picking up the injury during England’s goalless draw against Ghana in the group stage, leaving Tuchel unsure of his availability against Mexico.
“Reece may end up on the bench. He needs a final assessment from the doctors and a medical opinion if it makes sense,” said Tuchel.
Elsewhere, there was better news for England. Jarell Quansah has recovered from the ankle injury that ruled him out of round 32 and is available for selection after returning to full training.
“You saw that Jarell trained, Jarell trained fully, he is fully available,” confirmed Tuchel.
Midfielder Declan Rice has also been dealing with a hamstring problem but is expected to start in Mexico City.
With both Brazil and England chasing quarter-final places, the fitness of key players could prove crucial. Brazil will be hoping Raphinha can make an impact off the bench against a dangerous Norway side, while England will await a final medical before deciding whether James can start against Mexico.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
05 Jul 2026 14:52 IST