A royally out-of-form Brazil team host eternal rivals Argentina in a crucial World Cup qualifier in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Following defeats inflicted on the road by Uruguay and Colombia, Brazil have slumped to successive losses for the first time since the 2014 World Cup; when Germany’s historic 7-1 semi-final evisceration was followed up by a loss to the Netherlands in the third-place play-off.
Fernando Diniz, fresh from steering Fluminense to victory in the Copa Libertadores final in the same ground earlier this month, can scarcely afford a third international reverse on the spin.
Brazil would do well to miss out on the 2026 World Cup – six of the ten South American teams automatically qualify, with a seventh entering into a play-off – but to lose at home to Argentina is never acceptable.
Here’s the lineup Diniz may deploy to stop the rot.
GK: Alisson – As the devout goalkeeper psyches himself up before each game, he blasts hymns belted out by Brazilian gospel singers. Whatever works.
RB: Emerson Royal – The Tottenham Hotspur right-back has not featured in a victory for his national team since October 2021.
CB: Marquinhos – “There are many emotions,” Marquinhos reflected on life as a footballer, “good and bad.” Arguably the lowest ebb of his career was the penalty which he failed to convert in the World Cup quarter-final shootout that denied Brazil a meeting with Argentina in the next round.
CB: Gabriel – After years on the outside looking in, Gabriel has filled the void in defence to start all five of Brazil’s qualifiers this year.
LB: Renan Lodi – Atletico Madrid made a loss on the former Nottingham Forest loanee to get rid of him this summer.
RM: Raphinha – The Maracana serves as a dramatically different setting to the matches Raphinha played while growing up in Brazil. One of the talents to get spotted in the nation’s amateur varzea tournaments played on clay courts, Raphinha would get death threats before most games. “It really is the Wild West, man,” he wistfully remembered.
CM: Bruno Guimaraes – Not afforded a single start at the Qatar World Cup, Guimaraes has emerged as first-choice under Diniz.
CM: Andre – There has been a strong Premier League undercurrent to Brazil’s recent squads and Andre may bolster that number if he does live up to the many rumours linking him with a move to England this winter.
LM: Gabriel Martinelli – On his eighth senior appearance for Brazil, Martinelli scored his first international goal against Colombia. However, the landmark moment ended in defeat.
ST: Rodrygo – Between September 2022 and 2023, only one player in world football (Bruno Fernandes) made more appearances for club and country than Rodrygo (70).
ST: Joao Pedro – In Brazil’s last competitive outing, Brighton (Pedro’s employers) had more players feature than any of Flamengo, Sao Paulo or Corinthians.
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