Tite calls up six Olympic winners For Brazil's September World Cup Qualifiers
On Friday afternoon Brazil manager Tite announced a squad of 25 players for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Chile, Argentina and Peru next month. They’ll be hoping to bounce back quickly from their Copa America final defeat in July to rivals Argentina.
The Brazilians have made a perfect start to their qualifying campaign having won all six matches, scoring 16 and conceding only twice. They sit top of the standings, five points clear of second-place Argentina.
Dani Alves, Guilherme Arana, Bruno Guimarães, Claudinho, Richarlison and Matheus Cunha have made the squad after helping Brazil win Olympic gold in Tokyo as they saw off Spain 2-1 after extra time.
Cunha, Claudinho and Cunha are yet to be capped for the senior side and will be hoping their performances during the Olympics will spark Tite to give them an opportunity. Everton's Richarlison finished top scorer during the tournament with five goals.
Also in contention for their first caps are Lucas Verissimo and Raphinha. The latter has impressed during his time at Leeds United. After missing out on the Copa America squad, the 24-year-old will be eager to impress as he seeks to become a regular feature for the Seleção.
Nine Premier League-based players include: Thiago Silva, Richarlison, Raphinha, Alisson, Fabinho, Roberto Firmino, Ederson, Gabriel Jesus and Fred. There are also five domestic-based players in Arana, Everton Ribeiro, Gabriel Barbosa, Weverton and Alves.
Will Alisson return to the side after being on the bench during the Copa America knockouts or will Ederson retain his place? Maybe Palmeiras’ Weverton will get the nod as he did back in October last year.
Arana has been in top form all year for Atletico Mineiro and backed this up by becoming a key player for Brazil during the recent Olympic games. Playing as a left-back he provides a great threat going forward as well as being very handy in defense.
One player who will feel hard done by at not getting a call up is Flamengo’s Bruno Henrique who in recent months has been one of the top-performing players in Brazil.
In 2021 he’s played 28 times; scoring 12 times and providing eight assists. He’s one to keep an eye on. If he carries on performing a call-up will be just around the corner.
One thing for sure is that it promises to be an exciting week for Brazil as they look to try new players and new ideas, as they look to secure their place in Qatar next year.
Brazil's squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers:
Goalkeepers: Alisson, Ederson, Weverton
Defenders: Dani Alves, Thiago Silva (captain), Marquinhos, Danilo, Alex Sandro, Éder Militão, Guilherme Arana, Lucas Veríssimo
Midfielders: Casemiro, Lucas Paquetá, Fred, Fabinho, Éverton Ribeiro, Bruno Guimarães, Claudinho
Forwards: Neymar, Roberto Firmino, Gabriel Jesus, Richarlison, Gabriel Barbosa, Matheus Cunha, Raphinha