Willian has admitted that it will be difficult for Brazil to beat Germany in Tuesday's World Cup semi-final without the services of talisman Neymar.

The 22-year-old was ruled out of the tournament after sustaining a back injury in the latter stages of Friday's 2-1 win over Colombia.

Neymar had struck four times leading up to that quarter-final clash, but Willian - who is expected to replace the Barcelona star - is hopeful that his absence will unify the camp.

"Neymar sets the standard for us. He is capable of deciding any game, so playing without him will be difficult," he told reporters.

"We know the quality that we have. We are all very sad at losing him but we are now even stronger after what happened and we can continue to pursue our dream."

Tuesday's clash in Belo Horizonte kicks off at 9pm.

Written by
Shane Callaghan