Brazil will be looking to make a winning start to their 2022 World Cup campaign when they take on Serbia at the Lusail Stadium on Thursday.
It’s been 20 years since the Selecao got their hands on their fifth World Cup in South Korea and the pressure is on Tite’s richly talented squad—ranked number one in the world by FIFA—to live up to their pre-tournament favourites tag and go all the way in Qatar after losing to Belgium in the quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup.
The Samba Boys are on a 15-game unbeaten run in all competitions and are oozing confidence ahead of their opening game against Serbia.
Brazil Team News
Brazil boss Tite is set to have a fully-fit squad at his disposal for the midweek encounter against Serbia, with Bruno Guimaraes, Antony and Alex Telles all recovering from minor injury problems.
Predicted Brazil Lineup vs Serbia (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Alisson Becker is Brazil’s No.1 and should start against the Serbians. He will hope to produce big moments in goal when called into action.
Defence
Lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, captain Thiago Silva will marshal the backline on Thursday. He should start alongside Marquinhos at the heart of the defence in the Brazil lineup, with Alex Sandro and Danilo operating at left-back and right-back, respectively.
Eder Militao, Alex Telles and Dani Alves will provide cover for defensive positions from the bench.
Midfield
One of the first names on Tite’s team sheet, Casemiro will hold fort in Brazil’s midfield. He will shield the back four and allow the creative talents to play their natural game. The 30-year-old could be partnered with Lucas Paqueta in the double pivot in the Brazil lineup, with the West Ham man using his passing range, flair and movement to link up well with the forwards and create openings in the final third.
Neymar is likely to operate in the hole behind the striker in the Brazil lineup. He has found form again this season with PSG and is capable of winning games on his own when at his best.
Attack
Tite has a number of attacking talents to choose from—including Richarlison, Vinicius Jr, Gabriel Martinelli, Raphinha, Antony, Pedro and Gabriel Jesus. He could go with Richarlison up top on either side of wide attackers Vinicius Jr and Raphinha in the Brazil lineup.
Richarlison was excellent in Brazil’s World Cup qualifying campaign and deserves to start against Serbia. The pace, flair, movement and invention of Vinicius Jr and Raphinha from wide areas could cause mayhem for the Serbian defenders.
If Tite wants to introduce fresh legs in attack, he will have the luxury to bring Antony, Jesus and Pedro off the bench.