Neymar ‘fit to play more’ against Japan

Brazil will face Japan in the last 32 of the World Cup in Houston on Monday. Coach Carlo Ancelotti hopes to get Neymar on the field for more time in this match, but he believes his team is fully prepared to face any situation in this tough knockout match.

Neymar is slowly regaining fitness after recovering from a calf injury. He played just over 15 minutes in the final minutes of the 3-0 win over Scotland in the last match.

“His (Neymar’s) improvement in the last week has been very noticeable. Unfortunately, in the previous match he couldn’t play more than 15 minutes, but now he is in a condition to play more,” Ancelotti told reporters on Sunday.

### Friendly match experience and respect for Japan
Japan beat Brazil 3-2 in a friendly match in Tokyo last October. Ancelotti said that they got a great idea from that defeat before the match in Houston. Because if they lose this match, they will be eliminated from the tournament.

“We have already experienced that Japan is one of the best teams in the world. We have full respect for them and are preparing for this match as if it were a final. Because for us, it is a final.”

> ‘We have to keep our mentality and heart strong. In the knockout matches, any situation like extra time or penalties can arise, we have to be ready for everything. The team is ready, motivated and confident. But every match in this tournament is very difficult.’
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### Noon kick-off and title fight
The match will start at 12 noon local time in Houston. This is the first time that the Seleção are taking to the field at such a time in this World Cup. However, Ancelotti is not at all worried about the weather.
He said, ‘I don’t think we have to change much because we usually train at this time of day. At the end of the day, we are only going to play a football match. We have to stay focused. We are going to play against a very organized and difficult opponent, so it is important to have a clear idea of ​​what we want to do on the field. The players will sleep very peacefully. But I can say for sure that they will sleep much better than the head coach.’
Asked who the hot favorites for the World Cup are, the experienced Italian coach said there is no clear favorite in his view.
“Maybe some teams played better than others in the group stage, but so far there is no clear favorite. This tournament is going to be very competitive and balanced,” he said.