Ancelotti reveals how many minutes Neymar will play against Japan

Brazil face Japan in a crucial World Cup last-32 match tonight at 11:00 pm Bangladesh time. The biggest question in the Brazilian camp is Neymar's game time. Will the star forward, who came on as a substitute in the previous match, start today?

According to Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti's pre-match press conference, it is unlikely that Neymar will start against Japan. However, his game time is set to increase.

On Neymar's injury and fitness update, Ancelotti said, "Neymar is recovering very quickly and is in good shape now. There have been many positive changes in his physical condition over the past week. Unfortunately, he still hasn't been able to train with us for the full time. But now he is fully ready to play more than 15 minutes. The final decision on bringing Neymar on will depend on how the match unfolds on Monday."

Neymar made his return to the Brazil jersey after 981 days in the group match against Scotland, coming on as a substitute in the second half and making history in the process. He became the fourth Brazilian player, after Jálma Santos, Pelé and Cafu, to feature in four different World Cups.

On the tactic of not playing Matheus Cunha in a fixed position, Ancelotti said, "Not fixing Cunha to a specific position in the last match gave us an advantage. Regularly rotating players' positions is important so that opponents cannot easily read our moves. Bruno Guimarães, Lucas Paqueta and Cunha have executed this strategy brilliantly in the last two matches."

A win against Japan tonight will secure Brazil's place in the last 16, where they would face Ivory Coast or Norway next Sunday.