The final squad list for the World Cup will be announced on May 19, but first, on the 16th, the coach will call up 26 players for the last round of tests: friendlies against France and Croatia (on the 26th and 31st), in the United States.
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Despite the uncertainties, some names are practically guaranteed a place, barring medical surprises: Alisson, Marquinhos, Casemiro, Bruno Guimarães, Raphinha, Vinícius Júnior and Estêvão.
Check out the current outlook for each position:
Goalkeepers 🧤
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Undisputed starter: Alisson is ready for his third consecutive World Cup as the starting goalkeeper.
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The battle for the reserve places: Bento (in great form at Al-Nassr), Ederson (starter at Fenerbahçe, but has suffered recent cuts), Hugo Souza (performing well at Corinthians) and John (an outsider at Nottingham Forest) are among the favorites for the other two places.
Central defenses 🧱
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The pillars: Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhães have a “guarantee” for the World Cup.
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In contention: Éder Militão is highly appreciated by Carlo Ancelotti, since his time at Real Madrid. Names like Alex Ribeiro (Lille), Fabrício Bruno (Cruzeiro), Danilo, Léo Pereira and Léo Ortiz (Flamengo), as well as Beraldo (PSG), also have possibilities.
Defenses 💪
This could be considered the most unstable area of the World Cup cycle, with many players tested by Ancelotti so far.
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Left: Alex Sandro (Flamengo), Caio Henrique (Monaco) and Douglas Santos (Zenit) are the most used, with Carlos Augusto (Inter Milan) also in the mix.
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Right: Vanderson (Monaco) is ahead, but Wesley (Roma), Vitinho (Botafogo) and Paulo Henrique (fighting in Vasco) have also been spotted.
Midfielders 💭
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The pillars: Casemiro (Manchester United) and Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle) form the core of the midfield; The latter is injured and will not be in the next call, which opens the door for further evaluation.
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Andrey Santos (Chelsea) and Lucas Paquetá (Flamengo) have been tested many times and have a good chance of being on the final list.
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Fabinho (Al-Ittihad) is back on the radar and is an outsider, like João Gomes (Wolverhampton) and Joelinton (Newcastle), as well as Brazilian football players such as Marcos Antônio (São Paulo), Matheus Pereira (Cruzeiro), Breno Bidon (Corinthians) and Matheus Martinelli (Fluminense).
Forwards 🔥
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The big question: Neymar, who has not played since October 2023, will have his physical condition monitored at Santos until the last minute.
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Guaranteed: Estêvão (Chelsea), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), Raphinha (Barcelona), Rodrygo (Real Madrid) and Vini Jr (Real Madrid) should be on the final list, with João Pedro (Chelsea) and Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal) also well positioned.
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Wingers: Luiz Henrique (Zenit) competes with Antony (Betis) and Savinho (Manchester City) for a position on the wings, who now has another contender: Rayan, who has been flying at Bournemouth.
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Seat number 9 is still open! Richarlison is a trusted man for Carleto, but he is going through a difficult time along with the entire Tottenham squad. Endrick started strong in Lyon but his form has dropped. Nottingham Forest’s Igor Jesús is also on the radar, along with Kaio Jorge (Cruzeiro) and Vitor Roque (Palmeiras).
So, which 26 players would you take to the World Cup?
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.