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Brazil possible starting lineup: Ederson; Vanderson, Marquinhos, Gabriel, Abner; Lucas Paqueta, Bruno Guimaraes; Luiz Henrique, Raphinha, Vinicius Junior; Igor Jesus
Venezuela possible starting lineup: Romo; Gonzalez, R Ramirez, Ferraresi, Aramburu; Martinez, Rincon, Herrera; Soteldo, Rondon, Savarino
Match Preview
After an encouraging set of results in October, Brazil returns to World Cup qualifying action, facing Venezuela in Maturin on Thursday. This matchup will feature CONMEBOL's only team yet to qualify for a World Cup, Venezuela, against Brazil, the only nation to have participated in every tournament.
Match Preview
Brazil’s start to qualifying was uncharacteristically shaky, prompting real concern over their prospects. For the first time, Brazil seemed at risk of missing the expanded 48-team tournament set for North America in 2026. Under-pressure manager Dorival Junior benefited from favorable fixtures last month, as Brazil took on the bottom two teams in the standings. They narrowly defeated Chile thanks to a late Luiz Henrique goal, breaking a three-game away losing streak. Back at home, they then dominated Peru in a 4-0 win, which put them level with Uruguay and widened the gap over Bolivia in the playoff position.
Brazil now faces a challenging schedule with upcoming games against the top five teams, making this match against Venezuela critical. Historically, Brazil has dominated in Venezuela, winning all nine previous away fixtures and scoring 39 goals. However, recent performances suggest Brazil may not be as formidable as in the past, while Venezuela is showing rapid improvement.
The last meeting between these sides ended in a draw, only the second time Venezuela has avoided defeat to Brazil, boosting their own hopes of a historic World Cup qualification.
Venezuela’s form this year has kept them in contention, especially at home, where they've drawn against Argentina and Uruguay. However, away losses to Bolivia and Paraguay in recent matches saw them slip out of the top seven. They’re currently one point behind Bolivia in the playoff spot and two points shy of Ecuador and Paraguay, so standings are likely to shift with the upcoming matchdays.
Form Guide:
- Venezuela – World Cup Qualifying: DDLDDL
- Brazil – World Cup Qualifying: LLWLWW
Team News
Venezuela faces significant defensive issues, with Yordan Osorio recently joining Jhon Chancellor and the promising Teo Quintero on the injury list. Up front, 35-year-old Salomon Rondon remains the team’s key figure, having scored nearly half of their goals in qualifying. He remains in fine form, recently netting a hat trick for Pachuca in Mexico.
For Brazil, Alisson remains out with a hamstring injury, leaving Ederson to step in as goalkeeper. Defenders Eder Militao and Bremer are also unavailable, with Militao out for the season after tearing his ACL. Manager Dorival Junior has further decided to exclude Lucas Beraldo, Fabricio Bruno, and Alex Telles from the squad. Promising teenager Estevao Willian has been called up after missing October's games due to fitness concerns, while Endrick is left out of the lineup for this cycle.