Jack Hendry lays down Neymar challenge as Scotland brace for Brazil World Cup 'battle'

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·21 Juni 2026

Jack Hendry lays down Neymar challenge as Scotland brace for Brazil World Cup 'battle'

Defender has faced legendary winger before and knows what he has got in the locker

Jack Hendry says he is unafraid of defending Neymar as Scotland gear up to face Brazil in their final World Cup group stage fixture.

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The Scots sit third in the group after beating Haiti and losing to Morocco, and any point they could pick up when facing Carlo Ancelotti’s side in Miami would be an invaluable boost to their chances of progression.

But the Selecao are set to be boosted by the return of the legendary ex-Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain winger Neymar, who arrived in camp injured but has been passed fit for this tie.

Al Ettifaq centre-back Hendry, though, has faced Neymar once before while at Club Brugge, and insists the prospect of facing him again will be “no problem”.

Jack Hendry, then of Club Brugge, defends from Neymar in a 2021 Champions League match

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“I’m quite comfortable coming up against Neymar and I look forward to it,” he told reporters in Miami. “It should be a really good battle.

“I think he got injured out in Saudi (while at Al Hilal). He did his ACL which was unfortunate. Obviously, I’d have liked to have played against him more.

“Played against him [once] in the Champions League when he was at Paris Saint-Germain, so that was a good test. Obviously the front three at the time was Messi, Mbappe and Neymar, so it's not a bad front three, that. It was a good experience.

“Learnt a lot from these moments playing these top-calibre players, so I look forward to it and we’ll see if he plays.”

Ancelotti has suggested that Neymar will play through the middle rather than on the flank should he feature against Scotland.

Jack Hendry has impressed in Scotland’s first two group stage fixture

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It remains unclear if that will come to pass, however he will be bumped up the pecking order after Raphinha suffered a hamstring injury.

Speaking from Brazil’s own training camp, ex-West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta said Neymar’s return had lifted the squad’s spirits considerably.

“We’re all very happy to see him training and back on the pitch with us,” Paqueta explained.

“Neymar is a very important player for the Brazilian national team. He has an extraordinary history with this shirt and he can still help us a lot.

“We’re glad he’s back and we hope he’ll be available as soon as possible to contribute to the team.”

Of facing Scotland, he added: “We have great respect for Scotland, but we also know we need to play our game and follow what the coach asks of us. Regardless of the opponent, our goal in every match is to win.”

Brazil face Scotland in Miami on Wednesday, June 24, kicking off at 11pm BST.