Brazil takes on dark-horse Norway looking to progress to the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals, in a clash that will add a new chapter to the unending Neymar Jr summer saga. A calf injury threatened to spoil Neymar’s chances of featuring in his fourth career World Cup. Fortunately for him and millions of fans across the globe, the Seleçao’s all-time leading goalscorer recovered in time and made his highly anticipated tournament debut in Brazil’s group stage finale vs. Scotland. Brazil then came from behind to dramatically defeat Japan 2–1 with a late Gabriel Martinelli strike in the round of 32, battling adversity to stay alive in the competition. However, a fully fit Neymar didn’t play a single minute against Japan, simply watching from the bench as his teammates came from behind on Monday. With Brazil living to fight another day, the question has once again surfaced: Is Neymar going to play against Norway in the round of 16?Neymar’s Role for Brazil Against NorwayNeymar will be praying to get some minutes against Norway. | Michael Reaves/Getty ImagesBrazil’s starting lineup for the game has been confirmed, and perhaps unsurprisingly, given Carlo Ancelotti’s remark postmatch against Japan, Neymar again finds himself among the substitutes.“We were waiting for extra time [to bring Neymar on],” Ancelotti admitted. “I spoke with him and told him ’If we haven’t equalized the match, you will enter the match in the 60th or 65th minute.’ We equalized before then and I didn’t want to change the team’s structure because we were dominating the game.”It’s clear Ancelotti is saving Neymar as a weapon for very specific contexts. The 34-year-old might not be capable of playing for longer than half an hour—something further evidenced by the Italian bringing on Martinelli ahead of him, which ended up looking like a stroke of genius.Brazil vs. Norway—Confirmed LineupsAncelotti himself confirmed Neymar isn’t happy with the secondary role he’s playing for Brazil this summer, yet he commended the veteran for how he’s handled the situation. “He’s not satisfied [with his role], but he’s behaving very well,” Ancelotti said about Neymar’s situation, via AS. “He’s training very well. Neymar is very respectful, kind and loved by his teammates. He’s an important figure in the team because he has quality and he's a very humble person.“I’m very happy with him. And obviously he wants to play, like he’s always wanted. The important thing is that he can play. No one knows how long he will play. He has the experience to manage his minutes in the game and the tempo.“When I see that the team needs him, I’ll put him on.”All eyes will now be on Vinícius Junior from the start, while Erling Haaland will provide a tremendous threat for Norway at the other end. But don’t fully discard an appearance from Neymar—this is his last chance for World Cup glory after all.READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow