Qualifiers are over. Brazil end up in 5th place (28 points). But 1 point away from second place (29). We can all thank CBF for an embarrassing campaign, worse than 2002 not just in points, but in how disorganized it was. But now it's time to hope Ancelotti can do something with the little time he has. Next call-up is probably on September 26, so only 2 and a half weeks away. I started typing up some ideas about what to look forward to, but I'll save that for later.
A few other thoughts before I go into a more extensive preview. The big conversations after the match have been about who might have increased or decreased their chances, and cautious optimism that we can at least put away the last 3 years of CBF incompetence and hope things go better from now on. I think most of the guesses about ups are downs are fairly easy. However, I see a lot of people saying Richarlison is down but still likely to go. I go further and I think Richarlison is down a lot for the first time and at risk of not getting a World Cup spot. Having started the season well, he will probably get another call up. But I do think Matheus Cunha and João Pedro are both ahead of him and we should test other 9s too. Douglas Santos and Luiz Henrique obviously increased their chances, but I think they also increased Gérson's probability of being called in. I say that because just calling up someone in the Russian league suggests they are not going to discard them. If Gérson isn't called in in October or November, that would suggest that Gérson is not in their plans, not that the Russian league disqualifies him. That also makes me think that players at Al-Hilal (Lodi, Malcom and Marcos Leonardo) and a Shakhtar Donetsk are also on the radar, but in the end I think those are all longshots. They just can't be dismissed as outside of the staff's radar. Also, about the convocação. The list is probably due to FIFA on Sunday, September 21 (just 10 days from now). And if the convocação is on a Monday like it was last time, instead of the usual Friday, September 29 would be the likeliest date based on the last one.
PVC previewed this article in an online segment yesterday. It shows how little continuity there has been in this mess of a cycle: https://www.uol.com.br/esporte/fute...por-todos-os-tecnicos-da-selecao-no-ciclo.htm Across all 4 coaches, only 9 players were called up at least once by each one. With the caveat that Casemiro was called up by Dorival but cut before apresentação due to injury and the same happened to Joelinton with Ancelotti. The players are: Alisson, Danilo, Vanderson, Marquinhos, Casemiro, Bruno Guimarães, Joelinton, Vini Jr., Richarlison 84 players have been called in during this whole cycle and 44 of those were first-timers (not in the article, but according to PVC in the online show). Neymar isn't on that list because Ancelotti hasn't called him yet, but most people expect he will call him sooner or later. The same goes for Rodrygo. Ramon Menezes had two call-ups, Diniz had 3 and Dorival had 6. Ancelotti has had 2 so far.
I've decided to make separate posts for my preview, covering the current roster and the options for Goalkeepers, Defenders, Midfielders and Forwards in each respective post. I'm aiming to do one a day so that Sunday it will be done and then we get one week of slow news or no news probably, and then we will probably start to see leaks from the preliminary list. So let's start with Goalkeepers tonight!
Goalkeepers Alisson is guaranteed, and even his haters agree with that. Reportedly Bento and Hugo Souza are well regarded by Taffarel. So the question is if we will even see any other options, or if they think they have their three already. Bento being out of favor at Al-Nassr should hurt him considerably. And I don't buy the Hugo Souza hype. I hope we at least see one different name this October, to suggest the second and third spots are still open. Here are some of the candidates and their upcoming matches for the next two weeks: Lucas Perri: Had a good season at Lyon and is now at Leeds United. They will probably fight against rebaixamento, so he'll see plenty of action. Matches: away at Fulham (13), away at Wolves (20). John: Moved to Nottingham Forest after the West Ham deal fell through. Probably won't be a starter right away, but they have a Cup game next week, so maybe he'll start those? Matches: at Arsenal (13), at Swansea (17, EFL Cup), at Burnley (20), at Real Betis (24, Europa League). Leo Jardim and Brazão are some of the Brasileirão names mentioned. If Hugo Souza is there for penalties, maybe Leo Jardim would be a candidate for that spot. Besides the Copa do Brasil match tonight, he has: vs. Ceará (14), at Flamengo (21), vs. Bahia (24). Brazão is on the younger side of the candidates at 24 and, like Perri and Leo Jardim, is on a team fighting relegation. Matches: at Atlético-MG (14), vs. São Paulo (21). I do think Ederson is out of the picture after a poor season, but who knows. If he starts at Fenerbahce he has 3 league matches and a Europa League match between now and the likely call-up. There are also interesting young names in Europe that are probably scouted. They are young and just long-shots now and probably names for the future, but let's look at some: Andrew is now 24. He was called up to the U-23s, but was prevented from going by his club at the time. He has only one U-23 appearance. He plays at Gil Vicente, but his youth team history probably means he is on the radar (not necessarily among the current options though). As a mid to lower table Portuguese team they have only league and domestic cup matches. He'll have two or three league matches between now and the call-up. Luiz Junior is an interesting surprise. He played at Mirassol and moved to Portugal while still a youth player at 18 years old. He started his senior career in Portugal and now is the starting goalkeeper for Villareal in La Liga. He is only 24, so definitely a name for the future, but very promising. With Champions League play and La Liga, a good season could put him on the radar. Matches: at Atlético Madrid (13), at Tottenham (16, CL), vs. Osasuna (20), at Sevilla (23). Kauã Santos left from Flamengo's youth team to Eintracht Frankfurt and played on their B team for a season. Last year he started 8 matches for their senior team, but tore his ACL in April this year. He is expected to return this weekend. He has 2 matches for Brazil's U-20 and is still just 22, so definitely a name for the future. Not sure if he'll get any starts right away, but like Luiz Junior, his team will have Champions League in addition to league and Cup matches. Matches: at Leverkusen (12), vs. Galatsaray (18, CL), vs. Union Berlin (21) As for other names I can think of: I think João Paulo missed his window and I don't see former candidates like Rafael or Cleiton being on the radar. I also don't think Weverton, Everson or Fabio will get sentimental call backs. And U20 standout Mycael is currently a backup on Athletico-PR, but at 21, will certainly be an option in the future.
Central defenders I feel like the 4 first choices are already set. But I still have two questions: Could we see more than 4 central defenders? Who are the players on the outside looking in, that could make it if someone gets injured? I think the four picks today are Marquinhos, Gabriel, Militão, Alex. Militão wasn't called in yet due to his injury, but it's expected that Ancelotti will call him. We need options beyond those, of course, so it's good that Leo Ortiz and Fabricio Bruno have gotten a chance, but I would hope to see Bremer as the first option, as I think he could even fight for a spot among those four. Some pundits think Ancelotti will use Militão as a right-back at times. I think they are overstating the case and Ancelotti is not likely to do that unless he has to. However, I do think that the quality of the top 5 or so options, and the fact that Militão can do that in a pinch (as did Marquinhos against Bolivia) suggests we could see an extra central defender on the final list. Right now, those factors lead me to guess that five central defenders will go. As for other options, I was surprised how young some still are, so I have included their ages: Beraldo (21) and Danilo were in the June roster. I don't think either one of them will get another chance, even considering Danilo's locker room leadership. I don't think the fact he was previously a right-back will factor in to Danilo's chances. Murillo (23) is still seen by pundits as an option, even though he did poorly against Argentina, because most blame that on Dorival. He could have a challenging season with a new coach who plays a different style, but that could be good for him. Leo Pereira was on the last pre-list, but I imagine he's behind Fabricio Bruno and Leo Ortiz. Some other young names that may be on the radar, but right now are probably for post-WC 2026Ç Vitão (25) is one of the Brasileirão names outside of the Flamengo duo and Fabricio Bruno who has been brought up. Robert Renan (21) was the standout defender for our U-20s, but he needs to develop a lot. He is a good ball-playing defender, which is what Brazil likes, but at the senior level he has a long way to go. If he develops though, his youth team experience means he will always be on the radar. Natan (24) has established himself as a starter at Betis. I always felt fans were too harsh on him here, which is typical. Considering Gabriel and Militão will be 28 and Bremer 29 at the World Cup, even Vitão and Natan can have plenty of hope for next cycle. The youngest one of the five first choices is Alex, who will be 27 at the World Cup. Vitor Reis made a big move to Man City and is now loaned to Girona. There was an article about his ambition to make it to 2026, but at 19, even 2030 might be too soon for him. If he pans out, he would be a candidate for 2034 and 2038 even.
Full-backs On the right, I think we have settled on Vanderson and Wesley as the first choices. I wouldn't hesitate to name these if you forced me to guess the 2026 roster today. I do think Danilo is out of the picture for this position now. I don't think Vitinho stood out in training this time around, but the Bolivia match can't be held against him. I wonder if he will be called again if we need a replacement after someone is injured, or if someone else from the Brasileirão will get looked at, like Paulo Henrique, who was on the pre-list, or William. For some of the full-backs who were called up earlier this cycle, it feels like their chance has passed. I'm thinking of Arthur, who was a key player in the U-20 team but has been hampered by injury at his club, and Yan Couto, though he is improving and should be on the outside looking in. Dodô was called up more recently, though we don't know if he made Ancelotti's pre-lists. I think he falls short on the defensive side, and I don't mean that as a pun on his height. As for young prospects, Vinicius Tobias did not pan out at Real Madrid, but he is just 21, maybe he'll get himself in contention in future cycles. Pedro Lima is a promising one, but at 19 he is also a future prospect. On the left, I think it's easy to guess at the current choices, but I don't think they are "settled". I think Alex Sandro is ok when available, but he'll be 35 at the World Cup. That's not too old for some players, but in his case it might be and I don't think he can be counted on with his current fitness. The other choice today would be Douglas Santos, simply because he fit in and did his job against Chile. I do think that Alex Sandro is not who Ancelotti wants for the World Cup. I say that because calling up three full-backs this time suggests he needs to see more, and cutting Alex Sandro without replacing him suggests to me he was only there as the safe option to fall back on. Carlos Augusto and Caio Henrique are the options people have consistently wanted to see more of and they have both been called in by Ancelotti, so hopefully they left a good impression. Carlos Augusto can be the more defensive option, while Caio Henrique is a good source of assists, so more of an offensive option, but neither one is exciting. Then again, that's the problem, there are no stand out options. Alex Telles also provides that good set play and crossing ability, but to me he is a bit of Alex Sandro 2.0, in that he is probably a safe option if needed, but who we want to find a better option for. Who else could get a shot? Luciano Juba was hyped before this call-up, but I think his stock was inflated a little bit by a couple of recent goals and Bahia's success. Abner Vinicius was called up during this cycle but was mostly a back-up for Lyon at that time. Now he has more opportunities to start, but, like most of these options, scouting shows him as average at best. Mauro Jr. is another one that, while he has had success at PSV, doesn't stand out when you look at his numbers. Maybe the most promising youngster is Kaiki Bruno, and based on his current form at Cruzeiro, I would expect him to continue to get on the pre-list. If he gets a chance and does well with it, I think pundits will make him a favorite. Lucas Piton gets some shouts too, but as I said above, all of these options are just average. I guess the key will be if they can find the one that complements the team the best. EDIT: As I mentioned in a previous post, I do think players in Russia and Saudi Arabia have a chance, based on the call-ups of players form those league. Renan Lodi probably sees himself as having a chance again but it looks like he may be out of favor with the new coach. My conclusion is that we can easily pick both of these positions if the World Cup were right now. However, I think the right-back picks will probably hold until the World Cup, but left-back should see the most variation and hopefully will look better in March.
Midfielders Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães are locks. That much has basically been stated by Ancelotti. Andrey is the current choice to back Casemiro up. The problem is that there isn't really a direct sub for Casemiro, so the question is whether the focus will be on testing more options, or getting entrosamento and alternatives within the current group. Paquetá is also close to guaranteed. That's 4 easy to pick spots out of a likely 6 for the final list. I'm going to work with Raphinha, Rodrygo and even Neymar as forwards, even if they can be used as meia-atacantes. The other ones who Ancelotti has called up so far are Andreas, Ederson, Gerson, Joelinton and Jean Lucas. If I were forced to guess today, I might pick Andreas and Gérson as 5th and 6th options, but that feels a little redundant and not enough defensive coverage. I do think Ederson, Joelinton and Jean Lucas are all likely to get another call-up. From players in the Brasileirão, Danilo is one that people expect may get another chance. Marcos Antônio was also on the pre-list. As for players called before Ancelotti, who could we see come back for a test? João Gomes and André got lots of call-ups but are big question marks right now, because we don't know what the current staff think of them and they were Dorival and Diniz favorites. I think they are likely to get a chance. Gregore is a defensive option some people expected to see on pre-lists, but he moved to Qatar, so is out of the picture now. I don't really think players like Matheus Pereira, Alan Patrick or Raphael Veiga are likely to get a chance, because I feel they compete more directly with the forwards I listed above. I think Douglas Luiz's poor season has moved him way back and he needs a miracle season at Nottingham Forest to get back in. Some people have mentioned Gabriel Sara as a longshot. Who knows if he's even on the radar playing in Turkey, but he looks solid right now and would probably compete with Gérson and maybe Andreas if he were called in. Finally, I've mentioned Moscardo recently. He is definitely one for 2030, 2034 and even 2038, but it may be worth keeping an eye on his season on loan in Portugal, as he may be the most direct Casemiro replacement. I do think there are fewer options than we all expect to see for Brazil in midfield, but I also think there is a solution somewhere in the names above, whether it's Ederson for when Casemiro is out, or Andrey and Bruno Guimarães and Paquetá all making up for his absence. But as I have always said, I think it needs to be 3 actual midfielders, not a Raphinha or Rodrygo as part of the three, and definitely not a Neymar, which is why I put them all in forwards. I do think we can go 4-2-4 in easy group matches (we could conceivably face, say, a Curacao or Haiti as easily as a Germany), but not all the time. Fortunately Ancelotti's away games show he will use 3 actual midfielders when needed.
It's technically Sunday already, so I am going to share my post about the forwards now, and then return for some general news and updates later on Sunday, before taking a break during what I expect will be a slow week, until the preliminary list is sent to FIFA next week. Vini Jr., Raphinha are locks. The biggest question at forward though is: how many? Tite took 9. If Ancelotti does take an extra defender or mid, that means he can take up to 8 forwards. Take an extra defender AND an extra mid and you can only take up to 7 forwards. With the wealth of options Brazil have and the tendency to use offensive subs more than others, I'll assume 8 for now. And while most agree there are many options, only the number 9 position is really a question mark. Right now, Estêvão and Luiz Henrique would be easy picks based on their September performances and previous call-ups. That would be the right side set. On the left, behind Vini Jr., coaches like Martinelli, but Rodrygo, just like Raphinha, could be useful in that spot as well as centrally. The big question for him is whether he'll get enough minutes this season. At number 9, João Pedro is the current leading candidate. He doesn't have any goals for Brazil yet, but his performances have improved and his club form is very good. Richarlison continued to be called up despite poor performances and injury thanks to his history, but I think his performances for Brazil have finally put him on the outside looking in. In 2022 he was delivering goals consistently for the national team, so his club form didn't matter. Now it looks like he might need to have a big club season to stay in contention, after so many bad call-ups. If he stays healthy he has a chance, but I don't think he's a guarantee anymore. Matheus Cunha had a key contribution in the June matches, but was injured in September. He can compete with João Pedro for the central spot, as well as provide a back-up 10 option. I expect he'll continue to be called up. The one question I have is, if both he and João Pedro continue to perform well but don't score, where will our goals come from? and can we afford to take two "9"s who together have 1 goal for Brazil in 20 matches? Above are 9 names already which is probably one too many. I don't think all of them are sure to go, but it illustrates how difficult it will be to break in. Savinho showed well in his call-ups under Dorival, but, thanks to impact performances by Luiz Henrique and Estêvão's potential, he is at best third choice on the right. And Antony is not likely to move ahead of any of them, even with a good season at Betis. On the left, Samuel Lino was called up recently, but as a replacement, suggesting he is not likely to make it unless he has a standout performance if he is given another chance. I could see him overtaking Martinelli as a left-wing option that can also provide midfield/defensive cover, but it's also possible both of them could miss out eventually. Now we come to the other number 9 options. Kaio Jorge did fine in the 20 minutes he was given against Chile. That and his artilheiro status in the Brasileirão will likely mean another chance. Igor Jesus's previous performances suggest he should get a chance, but he will probably have to see more minutes for Nottingham Forest first. Endrick was expected by some to be ready for 2026, but that is looking less likely by the week. He has more goals for Brazil than João Pedro, Matheus Cunha and Igor Jesus together. I think his first season at Real Madrid was solid, and hope he will do as well this season, but he has some catching up to do once he recovers from his injury. I'm still a believer, but we'll also have to see how his personal life and attitude affect his playing time. Finally, there's Pedro. Ask a Flamengo fan and they will tell you he should go. Ask Brazilian pundits in general and it won't be as unanimous, but many still think he needs to be there for his quality inside the box. Let's see if Ancelotti calls him and what he thinks of him. I would be very surprised if the final roster includes any forwards not mentioned above. Neymar doesn't even look likely right now and while most pundits in Brazil still seem convinced he will go IF he gets back in shape and in form, more and more of them are thinking it's not likely. Plenty of other names could appear on pre-lists, like Evanilson, who was on the Copa America roster and Ancelotti's first pre-list, or Malcom, who had a good Club World Cup and continues to play for his Saudi club while other Brazilians are now out of favor. Rodrigo Muniz, who scores fairly consistently for Fulham would be an option at number 9. Galeno, Igor Paixão and even Yuri Alberto have been on extended lists, but like I said above, any names not mentioned in the paragraphs above would be huge long shots. It's likelier we will see tinkering with how the forwards work together and maybe even the number of forwards, but not too many different names being tried out, except at the number 9.
To summarize my posts above: I'm sure there are other names I forgot, besides Lodi, who I added to the left-backs, like Emerson Royal, who I was reminded of while watching Flamengo today. Also Vitor Roque, who I don't think has a real shot, but, like Endrick, not too long ago was expected to be among the candidates. But for all the options I listed, many of the names will at best see the preliminary list. In fact, I don't think we will see as much variation as pundits think. I am worried we won't see options in some positions I would like to see (like goalkeeper). Aside from left-back and center-forward, the final names could very well be among those that Ancelotti has called up so far (as well as Rodrygo and Neymar, I suppose). Most of the players cut due to injury are already playing again. Vanderson had an assist this weekend. Joelinton and Kaio Jorge played. Alex Sandro and Matheus Cunha are not back yet, though. There isn't much time in between call-ups, and even less in between the matches and the preliminary list, so injuries that keep someone out for 3 weeks or more could end up missing their chance. Before the preliminary list I will have a short prediction post. Until then, here are some recent interviews with Ancelotti: PVC interview with Ancelotti for UOL: Pedro Ivo (ESPN) also interviewed Ancelotti, but so far they've only posted snippets. Tomorrow the full interview should be available on youtube: Some things he has said in these are that he is considering a keeper for PKs specifically, and that he wants to give players he called up and only got to play against Bolivia, or not at all, more playing time. Of course, there isn't a lot of time for that, so it remains to be seen if he'll be fielding a lot of different players in these friendlies, or if he'll be more pragmatic, as I suspect. One thing that has been reported and I'm not sure is in either of these interviews, is that he is expected to call up 25 or 26 in October and has told the CBF he expects to do that (call up more than 23) for each break. Anyone who has read any posts of mine about call-ups knows that I think that is how we should be doing things!
Vini Jr. seems to have lost his status as undisputed starter at Madrid. Yesterday Rodrygo started on the left and I hear he has been doing well. I don't expect Vini to be on the bench, but it looks like Xabi will have both players fighting for the spot. That will have consequences for us.
I think Vini works best as a second forward, which is why the 4-2-4 with him in the middle has been attempted by some coaches (though I still think it only works against very weak teams). I would love to see our forward line change according to opponents. If Xabi Alonso can manage Rodrygo and Vini in a sort of rotation, maybe we could even benefit from them being more rested. But that's all wishful thinking. As for the upcoming call-up, as I said, the preliminary list is due this Sunday. No news yet from globo esporte or any of the reporters that cover the national team. And thinking of players who could be on the radar, even if longshots, I'll add Khellven to the names I forgot. He got praise for his Libertadores match this week, and he has 7 U23 caps, so will be on the radar. I don't think right-back will see many more tests, but he could be an outside shot at one.
-------------------------------------Vini---- --------------------Raphinha----------------Estevao -----Augusto------------Casimeiro-----Bruno----------Wesley ---------------- --- -- -Gabriel---------Marquinhos-------- -----------------------------------Bremer ------------------------------------Alison I think that would win the world cup but Carlo dosen't do 343 but Casemiro those 3 centre backs and Allision and you don't concede much or at all and the counter attack is deadly which is why you don't need a proper CF.
On the one hand, that formation reminds me of 2002, so, I can't hate it... but Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães alone in the middle isn't great, even with three behind them. And Casemiro's second yellow yesterday is yet another reminder that we cannot rely on him for every match.
Ahead of the list going out tonight and probably beginning to leak tomorrow, a few notes: All players cut due to injury are back now, Alex Sandro on the bench for Flamengo, and the others (Joelinton, Matheus Cunha, Vanderson and Kaio Jorge) have already played. Alex is injured and out for a few weeks. Not clear to me if he'll be available by the time the international window begins. Ederson (Atalanta) has been out for weeks but may finally be back next week. Lucas Perri missed last week and this week but is expected back next week. Wesley didn't play today but was just "doubtful" so he should be available by next week. Endrick is back from injury too (was on the bench today). Instead of guessing a likely call-up, I'll just note some things I'm expecting or hoping for: More than 25 names called up Bento dropped (he played last week but hasn't even been on the bench for most matches since before the last call-up). Bremer brought in, either with 5 total defenders or, if Alex is out injured, 4 total. Alex Sandro dropped for Douglas Santos to be the "default" left-back and also call 3 total. Since he has stated he wants to call up 26 or more, 7 mids, instead of 6 or just 5. That's about it. If any of the long shots I listed get called in I'll take credit for a good guess but I'll be as surprised as most everyone else.
Looks like Gérson is dealing with an injury and the most optimistic return is October 30, so pretty much out of these friendlies. https://www.espn.com.br/futebol/art...lar-cogita-tratamento-com-fisioterapeuta-fora
The convocação has been scheduled for Wednesday, October 1 at 3pm local time (2pm US Eastern): https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...selecao-brasileira-no-dia-1o-de-outubro.ghtml
Article in UOL about November and March friendlies: https://www.uol.com.br/esporte/fute...o-ranking-da-fifa-para-amistosos-em-marco.htm In March CBF wants to schedule with UEFA opponents in the top 10, like France, Spain, Croatia etc. In November the plan is still to play CAF opponents, the only issue is that, besides Morocco and Tunisia, all the top teams are not yet qualified, so they don't know yet if they will be available in November, or in the playoffs. Algeria, Egypt, Senegal, Ivory Coast, for example, would all be good opponents, and will probably be available, but won't seal qualification until at least the first October match they play. Cameroon would also be a good opponent but they will almost certainly go through the playoffs as they lost to Cape Verde and no longer depend on themselves to win the group.
Raphinha has a hamstring injury, so he'll be out for three weeks, meaning he'll miss these friendlies.
Marquinhos also likely out. I'll also mention, no leaks yet. It's surpising, because you could always count on Flamengo and Real Madrid names, among others, at least since the press started being more on top of the preliminary lists. I wonder if Ancelotti is the one that pushed for less leaks or if it was CBF itself. With Real Madrid, I imagine the leaks came from the players themselves (or their entourage, more likely), but with Flamengo I could see it coming from a beat reporter getting info from a club employee. But either way, no names yet, and the call-up is Wednesday.
Thanks for posting that. I dug around and found only a yahoo sports article in English, but several sources in French indicating that Senegal are hoping to announce the friendly once they confirm their spot in the World Cup. They are not qualified yet, but they could qualify on October 10 if they win their match and DR Congo don't win theirs, or they could qualify on the 14th if they win both matches or if DR Congo loses points then. They are one of the best teams in Africa, and we lost to them under Ramon Menezes (4x2) so it will be a good opponent and an interesting measure of what kind of difference the coach can make in a short time. Senegal are favorites, so they should qualify, but of course until they're mathematically through, both side have to wait to finalize things. Reportedly it would be the first of the two November friendlies (probably Friday, November 15) and played in London.
Militão left the Real Madrid match injured today. Fortunately it seems it was an ankle injury from a Sorloth tackle. Let's hope it's not serious, even if it might keep him out of the call-up (we'll probably know tomorrow how long he'll be out).
I'm surprised at how little news there has been in the week leading up to the convocação. The only news has been updates on the friendlies. In addition to Senegal, above, there was news that CBF hope to get France and Netherlands in March, but those games also depend on qualifiers: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/futebo...a-jogos-com-franca-e-holanda-para-marco.ghtml
Looks like Militão will miss this week's Champions League match, but that's it. He'll be back before the weekend. So he should be available for the call-up. Also, globo haven't reported it yet (not on https://ge.globo.com/futebol/selecao-brasileira/ anyways) but yesterday, other outlets did leak Flamengo players on the list: Leo Ortiz, Samu Lino, Alex Sandro. I do hope Alex Sandro isn't called in, or at least we see 3 left-backs again. The fact globo hasn't reported it yet might suggest that CBF/Ancelotti really did ask parties not to leak this stuff, or it could be they'll just update once later today before the convocação. I did see claims of other names on the preliminary list but no sources, so they're probably based on speculation and previous lists. A lot of people are hyping up Coutinho, for example. I doubt he'll be called up, but even being on the preliminary list would surprise me.