Brazil Squad Report: Willian enters the spotlight

When Chelsea forward Willian left practice early on Saturday due to a hip injury the worst was considered. 

First Neymar was lost for the tournament and now, his replacement, was injured too?

Those fears were put to rest when Willian confirmed he would be able to take part in Tuesday's semifinal against Germany in Belo Horizonte.

Willian appears to have won out over Bernard for a spot in Brazil's attacking trident, as Felipe Scolari must make key personnel decisions with his star forward and captain, Thiago Silva, unavailable.

Other options to replace Neymar include Hernanes and Ramires, but Scolari hinted he would go with the 25-year-old Blues star during training on Sunday. Willian joined the starting lineup in Neymar's place for a practice game against a local under-20 squad

"You can't compare Neymar to any other player, he has a lot of quality," Willian said on Sunday. "I have a different style. He is more of a striker, scores more goals, while my strong suit is to set up my teammates."

Meanwhile, David Luiz will likely serve as Brazil's captain in the absence of Silva. 

Fixtures/Results

Group A  — June 12 — Brazil 3-1 Croatia

Group A  — June 17 — Brazil 0-0 Mexico

Group A — June 23  — Brazil 4-1 Cameroon

Round of 16 — June 28 — Brazil 1-1 Chile (Brazil wins 3-2 on penalties)

Quarterfinal — July 4 —  Brazil 2-1 Colombia

Semifinal — July 8 — Brazil vs. Germany

Squad News/Rumors/Injury Report

Neymar and Thiago Silva are out and Dante and Willian are likely in. Luis Gustavo will also return to the lineup after serving a suspension for yellow card accumulation. 

Team Stats

Goals scored - 10

Shots on target - 54

Distance covered - 533.8 km 

Passes completed - 1816

Quick Notes

1. Tim Vickery believes Brazil's policy of tactical fouling may have led to Neymar's injury. 

2. David Luiz has emerged as a true leader of this team. 

3. Original Ronaldo believes Brazil are still the favorites, even without Neymar and Thiago Silva. 

4. Reports out of Brazil on Sunday indicated Neymar could take a cocktail of painkillers in order to play in the final should Brazil make it that far. Those rumors were dismissed quickly.