Chelsea defender Alex has been ruled out of action for three weeks with a thigh injury.
Alex picked up the injury in the closing stages of Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday.
Scans have shown Alex has strained his thigh muscle and the central defender has been forced to withdraw from the Brazil squad to take on Iran on Thursday and Ukraine next Monday.
The former PSV Eindhoven stopper is set to miss three weeks of action, ruling him out of the trip to Aston Villa after the international break and the Champions League tie with Spartak Moscow.