RIO DE JANEIRO (AP):

Neymar and his Brazilian teammates will be back in action for their second match at the World Cup, before Russia and South Korea have even kicked off their campaigns.

Brazil won the tournament's opening game last week against Croatia and today will meet Mexico, who beat Cameroon 1-0 in their first Group A game. A win for either team would go a long way toward securing a spot in the next stage.

Brazil striker Hulk is a doubtful starter after missing training for two days due to a left leg injury, meaning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari may have to change a winning formula.

same system

Scolari planned to leave the decision until game day, saying "If he can't play, we lose something because this team has been playing together for a long time with this same system."

Five-time World Cup champions Brazil have won 16 of its last 17 matches, including the Confederations Cup on home soil last year, and Scolari attributes that to sticking with a formula.

If Hulk is ruled out, Chelsea midfielder Ramires and 21-year-old Bernard could come into contention for a starting spot.

The Brazilians got the benefit of a controversial penalty call in their 3-1 comeback win over Croatia, while Mexico had two contentious decisions go against them before Giovani Dos Santos found the back of the net against Cameroon.

Coincidentally, Brazil and Mexico met at Fortaleza in the Confederations Cup last year, with Neymar scoring to help the home team to a 2-0 win. Neymar, who lived up to expectations last week with two goals in the win over Croatia, has had a change of hairstyles in between.

The Mexicans have won seven of the last 15 matches against Brazil. And Mexico won the 2012 Olympic gold medal, beating Brazil in the final.