November 17, (THEWILL) – Brazilian attacker, Vinicius Junior, will not be available for his country’s crucial 2023 FIFA World Cup qualifier against rivals, Argentina, on Tuesday, due to a left thigh injury, it was confirmed on Friday.
The 23-year-old Real Madrid forward was forced off after just 27 minutes during Brazil’s 2-1 defeat away to Colombia on Thursday evening. Imaging scans later revealed damage to the posterior muscle in Vinicius’ left thigh, ruling him out of next week’s clash with Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Rio de Janeiro.
Vinicius himself acknowledged that it would be difficult to recover in time for the game against the 2022 World Cup winners. “Based on what the doctors have told me, it will be a bit difficult,” he said post-match. The injury is suspected to be a recurrence of a problem that kept the Brazilian out for a month earlier this season.
His absence compounds Brazil’s injury issues ahead of the crunch qualifier against the team currently top of the South American standings. Goalkeeper Ederson Moraes, defender Danilo, captain Casemiro and star Neymar are among those already sidelined.
Vinicius has been a key part of Brazil’s attack during qualification, scoring 4 goals in 11 appearances. His unavailability leaves manager, Tite, with a major selection headache for a game Brazil needs to win to stay competitive in the qualifiers for the next World Cup.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
