In this June 8, 2021 photo, Chile's Alexis Sanchez (left) and Bolivia's Danny Bejarano vie for the ball during their South American qualification football match for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at the National Stadium in Santiago. (ALBERTO VALDES / POOL / AFP)

RIO DE JANEIRO - Alexis Sanchez is close to regaining full fitness as he seeks to return to Chile's match day squad for their Copa America quarterfinal against Brazil, head coach Martin Lasarte said on Thursday.

Chile advanced to the competition's last eight by finishing fourth in Group A with five points from four matches while Brazil topped Group B with 10 points

The Inter Milan striker has not yet made an appearance in the current edition of the continental tournament because of a foot muscle injury.

But the 32-year-old has resumed training, raising hopes that he could be available for the clash at Rio de Janeiro's Olympic Stadium on Friday.

"His availability was always going to depend on whether or not we could get through the group stage," Lasarte told a virtual news conference.

"Alexis is very close to making a full recovery. He is improving every day and if he is deemed fit, he will play."

ALSO READ: Vargas gets closer to goal record as Chile draw with Uruguay

The Roja are also likely to welcome back midfielder Erick Pulgar and central defender Gary Medel, who have recovered from respective muscle injuries.

Lasarte said Chile needed to be "at their best level" to beat Brazil and reserved special praise for star forward Neymar.

"Neymar and [Lionel] Messi are different. They are great footballers, extraordinary. If I had the exact recipe [to limit their impact], it would be very easy," the Uruguayan said.

"Whether we can stop Neymar will depend on the overall performance of our team," he added.

Chile advanced to the competition's last eight by finishing fourth in Group A with five points from four matches while Brazil topped Group B with 10 points.