Real Madrid defender Eder Militao has withdrawn from the Brazil squad for this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Peru. He joins Vinicius Junior in pulling out.

Militao didn’t start the weekend win over Villarreal, playing just the final 19 minutes after it was reported in the days before the game that he was dealing with thigh discomfort.

Now, the 26-year-old centre-back won’t be part of his country’s October squad and has been replaced by two-cap Flamengo defender Fabricio Bruno.

Whether a blessing in disguise for Madrid, or a cause for concern remains to be seen. With summer transfer target Leny Yoro winding up at Manchester United and David Alaba not being rushed in his ACL recovery, Carlo Ancelotti’s squad has lacked depth in the heart of defence.

Aurelien Tchouameni started alongside Antonio Rudiger against Villarreal, with Ancelotti seemingly trusting the midfielder more than serial loanee Jesus Vallejo or the inexperienced Jacobo Ramon.

Andriy Lunin has been left out of Ukraine’s squad due to illness. The goalkeeper stood in for Thibaut Courtois against Villarreal but now won’t be part of UEFA Nations League games against Georgia and Czech Republic because of what the Ukrainian federation have confirmed as a “viral infection”.

Lunin was benched by Ukraine during Euro 2024 after a horror show against Romania in their opening fixture and hasn’t been able to dislodge Benfica’s Anatoliy Trubin since. He would likely have been a spectator again this month, making his omission the sensible choice. Even so, AS has reported that Madrid expect Courtois to be back by the time they face Celta Vigo on 20 October.

Vinicius Junior suffered a neck injury at the weekend and was taken off before the end as a result. Rodrygo and Endrick remain part of the Brazil squad.

France coach Didier Deschamps didn’t select Kylian Mbappe for clashes with Israel and Belgium following a recent injury, also citing a lack of fitness during the September international break.

“I spoke with Kylian about the situation, which is still uncertain after coming on as a substitute on Wednesday [against Lille]. He has a match on Saturday [against Villarreal] and there are question,” Deschamps said last week. “He has a problem which is not serious but he needs treatment to recover properly. I am not here to take risks. That is why Kylian is not here.”

Even though Deschamps has “no doubt” about Mbappe’s commitment, the forward has faced criticism in his homeland in the wake of subsequently starting for Madrid at the weekend.

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