Brazil will feel the loss of Neymar, says Sampaoli

Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli believes Brazil will feel the loss of talisman Neymar when the South American rivals do battle on Friday.

The two teams meet in Melbourne for a blockbuster friendly, but while Lionel Messi is set to play for Argentina, his Barcelona team-mate Neymar is not part of Brazil’s plans after being granted an end-of-season rest.

Sampaoli will be taking charge of the national side for the first time and feels his opponents will be short of their best without the forward to call upon.

But he will not be taking the other players in Brazil’s squad lightly, with Gabriel Jesus, Philippe Coutinho and Douglas Costa all involved.

“He is a very important player and definitely he is one of the best players in the world, so Brazil are going to feel the loss,” Sampaoli told reporters.

“However, Brazil have very good players that are able to pick up the performance of the team and also perform very well without him.”

Brazil will also play Australia during their trip down under, while Argentina will take on Singapore after their clash with Tite’s men.