Santos to rest Neymar for Mirassol with Carlo Ancelotti in attendance | OneFootball

According to Globo.com, Carlo Ancelotti will be in a box at Estádio Maião, but Neymar will be rested for Santos’ 21:30 kick-off at Mirassol after a joint decision by the player’s camp and the club.

It had been expected he could return in the São Paulo interior, having played the full 90 minutes against Novorizontino on 22 February and Vasco on 26 February, with 12 days to prepare.

After three days off, training resumed. Neymar’s involvement was limited and he missed four days at the CT to avoid overload, prompting a reassessment of his inclusion.

Although deemed fit enough to start, both staffs agreed to protect him this midweek to reduce the risk of injury. He worked on Monday with the non-selected group and will train again on Tuesday.

The aim is to level his fitness with team-mates and target the clássico against Corinthians on Sunday at 16:00 Brasília time, at Vila Belmiro. Vojvoda and Neymar want to minimise the chance of a muscle issue.

Santos still handle him cautiously after December surgery on the left knee meniscus, and he is mindful of his World Cup ambitions. A focused week of conditioning should move him closer to peak shape, even if missing Mirassol means foregoing a rare chance to impress Ancelotti at Maião.

For the March friendlies, he is on the preliminary list to face France and Croatia, leaving only the Corinthians derby to impress. At the weekend, Mino Fulco, Franchesco Mauri and Taffarel, members of Carlo Ancelotti’s Seleção staff, will be at Vila Belmiro.

Source: Globo.com