2026-06-29 10:52:04
Carlo Ancelotti has urged Brazil to play with their “hearts and minds” against Japan.
The Selecao take on Samurai Blue in Houston on Monday (29.06.26) in an intriguing World Cup last 32 tie and the coach has urged his players to be ready for the unpredictability of knockout football.
Ancelotti said: “We need many things: mind, heart, a clear idea. We have to be prepared for everything that can happen in a knockout tie, and in a knockout tie many things can happen. The team is prepared, motivated, confident, and has done well in the last two matches. The team is ready for anything that can happen.”
Japan earned a famous 3-2 victory when the two teams last met in a friendly last October and Ancelotti wants his Brazil team to learn lessons from the defeat as they seek to maintain their dream of winning the trophy for a sixth time.
The Italian manager said: “It was a good experience for us, and it showed us that Japan had a competitive team and one of the best in the world. They beat England in March, and we have total respect for them. We are preparing for this game as if it were a final. And it is a final.
“It’s a World Cup. Football is about how you can handle pressure while staying focused on what you can do on the pitch. We will focus on every aspect: attacking, defending, playing together. It’s a game that demands that. We will play against a strong opponent, one that is well organised and has good quality. Above all, we need to have clear ideas about what we want to do on the pitch.”
Brazil superstar Neymar overcame injury to feature in the team’s final group game against Scotland last week and Ancelotti has indicated that the forward will have a bigger part to play against Japan.
He said: “Neymar has progressed very well. I think he improved a lot last week. It’s a shame he couldn’t train the whole time he was with us.
“He can play more than 15 minutes. He’s in good shape. But it depends a lot on the game context and how things develop.”
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