India vs Brazil, Football Friendly: Five-time FIFA World Cup Champions have been dealt with a significant blow ahead of the historic football friendly match against India on October 3, Saturday at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
Star forward Raphinha has officially been ruled out of the clash as Brazil confirmed that he would be withdrawn from the squad to face India in the City of Joy.
India vs Brazil, Football Friendly: Has Raphinha suffered an injury?
The Barcelona forward picked up a minor issue during a commanding 4-2 win over Australia recently as the problem surfaced during the second half of the friendly match in Brisbane on Tuesday. He did feature in the first 45 minutes of the match and notably converted a penalty chance into a goal but did not return for the second half. The Brazilian Football Confederation later confirmed that an imaging examination held on Wednesday displayed a small amount of muscle oedema in the back of Raphinha’s right thigh. While the problem is set to be minor, the 29-year-old has dealt with issues in the same area itself, means Brazil have chosen not to take any undue risk. There will be no replacement named either.
While Raphinha’s absence will arguably be a disappointment for fans, but the squad managed by Carlo Ancelotti, still includes stars like Vinicius Junior, Endrick, Bruno Guimaraes and Marquinhos.
Big test awaits India
For India, facing Brazil will not only be a litmus test but also an opportunity to showcase improvement. The Blue Tigers are already done with the first part of the three-match run against World Cup opposition. Managed by Khalid Jamil, India delivered an impressive performance against Panama, holding them to a 1-1 draw in Bengaluru on September 26.
The result gives India plenty of optimism ahead of facing Brazil, who will be a level higher in terms of the quality of opposition. Vinicius Junior arguably remains the most potent threat for the hosts, while Endrick, Bruno Guimaraes and Marquinhos are also elite players. The Blue Tigers will face Brazil for the first time in internationals and turn their attention to face Uruguay three days later.