Brazil manager Dunga: 'Neymar is superior right now' to Messi, Ronaldo

Barcelona forward Neymar is in the form of his life - so much so that Brazil manager Dunga believes his star player is better than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

"If we look at the ranking by numbers and statistics, Neymar is superior right now," Dunga told reporters. "Messi is injured, Cristiano is expected to repeat what he did last year."

Dunga added, "Neymar has improved consistently since he arrived at Barcelona. He has done all that was expected of him with Messi out. He's in great form."

An injury to Messi gave Neymar the opportunity he needed to lead the Barcelona frontline and, beside Luis Suarez, he has become a blistering force in La Liga; Neymar has scored 11 goals in 10 games, adding another two goals in four Champions League matches.

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Those goals, plus six assists in those 14 games, make Neymar a brutal weapon for Dunga to utilize as Brazil prepares to take on bitter rival Argentina in World Cup qualifying. It's a match Dunga is looking forward to, doubly so now that Neymar has returned from his four-game international suspension.

Argentina, sans Messi, presents Neymar a chance to cement his claim to the top of the mountain of world football.

"They will have players out injured but it is still Argentina," Dunga said. "You lose a talented player but you get one that is maybe more focused, with more power and speed, and they can create problems. It's Argentina, their players all play at the highest level in Europe.

"We play Argentina at their home, they have great players, they were runners-up in the World Cup, they have 10 years worth of work there. That shows how difficult this will be. We didn't have Neymar for our first matches and no one spoke about our rivals having an advantage over us. There is no favouritism. All of us have deep benches."

There is no fixture in South American football more heated at the international level than when Brazil and Argentina meet. But Dunga says the rivalry has cooled in recent years as players like Neymar and Messi now play side by side.

"It used to be a war but now it is a competitive contest with professional mutual respect," he said. "They all play together now. But they want to beat Brazil just like we want to beat Argentina."