Rio de Janerio, June 2 (IANS) Barcelona forward Neymar will miss Brazil’s Copa America warmup game against Mexico on June 7 due to the Champions League final, the country’s football federation said.
The 23-year-old will join his national teammates after Barcelona’s clash with Juventus in the Uefa Champions League final in Berlin on June 7, Xinhua news agency reported.
Only three of the 25 players called up by coach Dunga were missing from the Brazil squad that gathered in Teresopolis, near Rio de Janeiro, on Monday.
Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Douglas Costa and Al-Ahli playmaker Everton Ribeiro were also absent due to club commitments.
Brazil have been drawn in the same group as Colombia, Peru and Venezuela for the Copa America, to be held in Chile from June 11 to July 4.
Dunga’s team will prepare for the tournament by playing Mexico in Sao Paulo on June 7 and Honduras in Porto Alegre three days later.
They will begin their Copa America campaign against Peru in Temuco on June 14.