It's a question no Brazilian wanted to hear at any point throughout the World Cup: "Who will replace Neymar in Brazil's starting lineup?"
With Neymar sidelined for the remainder of the tournament after suffering a fractured vertebrae in Brazil's 2-1 win over Colombia, Luiz Felipe Scolari faces the daunting task of figuring out who will start in the superstar's place when the Seleção meet Germany on Tuesday.
Make no mistake about it. Brazil's squad features a number of potential replacements that no back line wants to go up against. But it goes without saying that each and every option is a shadow of the complete player that Neymar is, and whoever Scolari chooses will be welcomed by German defenders given the alternative.
Here are the candidates to take Neymar's spot in Brazil's starting XI:
Willian
The most obvious candidate is Willian, who was substituted into Brazil's 4-1 win versus Cameroon for Neymar and provides an attacking instinct in central midfield that best fills the void left by the Barcelona phenom. Willian can take set pieces, he can launch counterattacks, and he excels at layoffs in the final third of the pitch.
His ability to play in the No. 10 role would also assist Oscar with the extra playmaking duties that Neymar's absence is forcing upon the team.
Unfortunately, some bad news came out of the Brazil camp on Saturday regarding Willian.
Willian had to leave training as he felt back pains during Brazil's after he was involved in a rough challenge with Hernanes.
— Paulo Freitas (@Cynegeticus) July 5, 2014
Crack jokes about how Hernanes is trying to steal the starting spot, but doctors say Willian's injury isn't serious and he should be able to keep preparing for Tuesday's semifinal.
Bernard
Don't be surprised if Bernard is included in Brazil's starting lineup against Germany.
Although the 21-year-old has yet to make much of an impact at the international level, Scolari has consistently shown faith in Bernard to a ridiculous degree. It's almost as if Scolari considers the youngster something of a prodigy and refuses to give up on his student.
But to be fair, it isn't hard to see the potential in Bernard. His nimble 5-foot-7 stature allows him to weave through back lines, and - similarly to Neymar - he can get so involved in a match that he'll follow the ball no matter where it lies on the pitch. Willian, on the other hand, isn't known for venturing from wherever he's deployed.
It also doesn't hurt that Bernard is naturally suited to playing on the left flank, where Neymar's absence will be heavily felt.
Hernanes
It would be a surprising move if Hernanes were to start on Tuesday, but Scolari may want to deploy a more defensive-minded midfielder against a German side that will be relentless in attack.
Hernanes has only played a combined total of 31 minutes so far at the World Cup, coming on for Paulinho in the 63rd minute against Croatia and in the 86th minute versus Colombia, moments before Neymar suffered his tournament-ending injury.
Starting Hernanes in front of Luiz Gustavo and Fernandinho would provide Brazil with an extra layer of defense in the middle of the pitch, but it wouldn't provide the team with much in terms of filling the attacking void. Hernanes' only real strength when it comes to scoring is his ability to shoot from long range.
The insertion of Hernanes would also force Scolari to tweak the 4-2-3-1 formation he's stuck with since the beginning of the World Cup.
In other words, don't expect to see the Inter Milan midfielder in Brazil's starting XI against Germany.
