ELIMINATÓRIAS, R17: Brasil x Chile - 24/3/2022

vs. ​

Location: Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho (Maracanã), Rio de Janeiro


​

Brazil roster:
Goleiros
Alisson (Liverpool - ING)
Ederson (Manchester City - ING) - released from roster replaced by Éverson (Atlético Mineiro)
Weverton (Palmeiras)

Laterais
Daniel Alves (São Paulo)
Danilo (Juventus- ITA)
Alex Telles (Manchester United - ING)
Guilherme Arana (Atlético Mineiro)

Zagueiros
Thiago Silva (Chelsea - ING)
Eder Militão (Real Madrid - ESP)
Marquinhos (PSG - FRA)
Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal - ING) - released from roster; replaced by Felipe (Atlético Madri - ESP)

Meio-campistas
Casemiro (Real Madrid - ESP)
Fabinho (Liverpool - ING)
Fred (Manchester United - ING)
Arthur (Juventus - ITA)
Lucas Paquetá (Lyon- FRA)
Philippe Coutinho (Aston Villa - ING)
Bruno Guimarães (Lyon - FRA)

Atacantes
Neymar (PSG - FRA)
Richarlison (Everton - ING)
Antony (Ajax - HOL)
Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal - ING)
Rodrygo (Real Madrid - ESP)
Raphinha (Leeds United - ING) - released from roster
Vini Jr. (Real Madrid - ESP)

With qualification assured rounds ago, Brazil returns to home soil for the last home match in this WCQ tournament and for the last presentation by Brazil in WCQ with Tite as manager. A successful, victory-laden, and historic ciclo nears its end, and Brazil's players will most certainly want the three points - to please the fans, to increase the points in WCQ, to improve the record, and to send off Tite with a win.

Although this will be an official FIFA match, Tite will certain experiment with this roster. Neymar is projected to play in the middle of the front line with Vini Jr and Antony - an addition of new blood as Neymar, now no longer (and not for many years now) the "new kid on the block" fresh off Santos' Libertadores win in 2011. The midfield will still contain veteran Casemiro, and the back line will be led by fellow veteran Thiago Silva in what is likely to be a 4-3-3.

Tite has made a good effort in transitioning the team towards a post-2022 future - and a post-Tite future as well - by gradually incorporating new blood into the squad. He has selectively chosen players from the 2020 Summer Olympic gold medalist squad, and these choices have contributed already. Young players who reached the Olympic podium have later made an impact with Brazil's senior national team; Romário, Careca, Bebeto, Taffarel, Ronaldo, and Rivaldo were household names when they went to the Olympics. Hopefully, Antony and Richarlison (and other champions from Tokyo who weren't chosen for this round) will write a winning history beyond Tite's stint with Brazil. But for now, Tite is laying the framework.

In this anomalous World Cup year, with the tournament in November and not in June-July, Tite will have, theoretically, more time to fine-tune the team. But with the difficulty of setting up friendlies against other title contenders, both in World Cup years and in any other year, Tite will need to maximize this 90-minute meeting with the Chileans to get more ideas on what the team should look like going into Qatar.

As for the Chileans, they definitely have their work cut out for them. Brazil is unbeaten at home in WCQ all-time, and while they are a respectable opponent which must be taken seriously, this team has indubitably been on the descent from its recent historical apogee of 2015-2016, when Chile won two back-to-back Copa América tournaments (the first one at home, to the delight of a capacity crow at Santiago's Estadio Nacional). That very strong Chile nearly broke millions of Brazilian hearts when they met in the knockout stages of the 2014 World Cup, where Brazil eliminated Chile only through penalty kicks.

Chile surprisingly and unexpected failed to reach the 2018 World Cup and finished in 4th place at the 2019 Copa América. In the 2021 edition, Chile was eliminated by host Brazil in the quarterfinal with a 1-0 defeat.

In this WCQ, Chile has been inconsistent, with home defeats to Brazil, Argentina, and Ecuador (0-1, 1-2, and 0-2). Against other opponents, to its credit, Chile has won or drawn. As a visitor, it has struggled, although its last match was a heroic 2-3 win at Bolivia, which granted Chile three crucial points without which it would not be anywhere near a fight for the playoff spot.

A long time has come and gone since Chile's last victory over Brazil, which happened on the first match of 2018 WCQ - in Chile. On October 8, 2015, the brand-new campeão da América bested Brazil 2-0 with goals by Eduardo Vargas (who has played in Brazil and is playing in Brazil now) and veteran Alexis Sánchez.

On that evening, Chile deployed Claudio Bravo; Francisco Silva, Gary Medel, Gonzalo Jara; Mauricio Isla, Jean Beausejour, Marcelo Díaz, Arturo Vidal; Jorge Valdivia, Eduardo Vargas and Alexis Sánchez.

Yet more than 6 years later, an entirely different starting XI faced Bolivia in La Paz, with Sánchez one of the few holdovers from that roster. Whereas he and 6 other players from the roster which was on the pitch when the whistle blew for the match against Brazil had reached continental glory in the same stadium months before, those names are now memories for a Chilean fan base which yearns for a return to the competitiveness of 2015-2016.

Brazil has changed dramatically as well, with Tite being the most obvious replacement, and with Dani Alves and Alisson being the only members of that Brazil roster who will be at Rio tonight to face Chile. That 2015 roster even had names such as the now retired and 2002 World Cup champion Kaká.

Of note is the fact that before 2015, the last time Chile had defeated Brazil in an official match had been one heading into the now 20-year-old tournament: a 3-0 rout in August 2000.

The track record between Brazil and Chile in WCQ matches held in Brazil is lopsidedly in favor of the former:
3/14/1954 - Brazil 1, Chile 0 (Baltazar)
9/3/1989 - Brazil 1, Chile 0 (Careca)
10/7/2001 - Brazil 2, Chile 0 (Edílson, Rivaldo)
9/4/2005 - Brazil 5, Chile 0 (Juan, Robinho, Adriano 3)
9/9/2009 - Brazil 4, Chile 2 (Nilmar 3, Júlio Baptista)
10/10/2017 - Brazil 3, Chile 0 (Paulinho, Gabriel Jesus 2)

The following were Chile's starting XI who faced Bolivia at Estadio Hernando Siles on February 1, 2022:
Bryan Cortés; Paulo Díaz, Gary Medel, Benjamín Kuscevic; Mauricio Isla, Charles Aránguiz, Erick Pulgar, Gabriel Suazo, Marcelino Núñez; Ben Brereton, Alexis Sánchez.

 

Agreed. These young kids are already professional footballers making tons of money and have brilliant careers ahead of them, but it's always encouraging to see them perform with garra and vontade for the national team. They know the competition is tough and they want to be in Qatar. Nothing better than to score some goals at home, and especially at Maracanã Stadium.

 

Brazil with a good set of passes against some spirited Chilean defending, leading to an incursion and a shot on target by Antony. Defended by the visiting goalkeeper.

 

Aggressive defending by Chile matched by a persistent and insistent Brazilian front line. A foul.... the Chileans complain angrily with the Argentine referee. Free kick for the hosts.

 

Vasco fans.