Brazil will face Iraq in Sweden on Thursday, before meeting Japan in Poland the following Tuesday and will likely be without both full-backs for the encounters, after the duo picked up injuries in action this weekend.
Dani Alves will definitely miss the clash, with Barcelona’s official website reporting on Monday morning that the player will miss three weeks with a muscle injury, while the extent of Alex Sandro’s problem is still uncomformed.
However, the Porto player, who left the pitch during his side’s 2-0 win over Sporting with a thigh strain, is also likely to be confirmed as absent after not reporting to the team’s hotel in Poland on Monday.
The CBF is yet to report if they will add any players to the squad, but with Adriano and Marcelo the only full-backs selected, it could be an opportunity of a quick return to the fold for Manchester United’s Rafael – voted the Red Devils’ Player of the Month for September.
