Brazil, strengthened by the return of Vinícius Jr., is ready to confirm its resurgence in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup on November 14 at 3:00 p.m., facing a Venezuela team that promises to be resilient at home .
With the word “crisis” hanging over the team, the five-time world champions returned to winning ways during the final double day of qualifying, with successes against Chile (2-1) and Peru (4-0). They aim to continue this positive progression when they visit the Monumental Stadium in Maturín.
“Don’t think it will be an easy match. Forget what Venezuela or Bolivia were in the past. The world Football order has changed significantly,” Brazilian coach Dorival Júnior said during a press conference on November 13.
Despite this, the coach expressed a feeling of “confidence”.
“There is a strong belief that emanates from what we observed in training,” he stressed in Belém before traveling to Venezuela.
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Venezuela managed to get a draw against Argentina in their last home match (1-1) on a rain-soaked pitch, followed by an away defeat against Paraguay (2-1).
Argentina leads the standings with 22 points, followed by Colombia with 19, and Uruguay and Brazil with 16 points each. Venezuela, meanwhile, has slipped in the rankings and currently sits in eighth place with 11 points, outside the World Cup qualifying zone.
After missing the last two matches due to injury, Vinícius Jr. makes his return to the national team amid controversy surrounding the Ballon d’Or, an award for which the Real Madrid winger was favorite, but which finally returned to Rodri from Spain (Manchester City). His club boycotted the gala.
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“I will do it ten more times if necessary. They are not ready,” the player promised in a message on social networks after this disappointment.
He demonstrated his desire to shine last weekend with a stunning hat-trick that propelled Madrid to a 4-0 victory over Osasuna in La Liga.
Vinícius is expected to play a bigger role in Brazil’s attack. Neymar is still unavailable after being re-injured while returning to his club, Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, while Rodrygo is also absent for this match.
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In defense, Eder Militao remains on the bench due to a knee ligament injury.
Dorival Júnior has confirmed that he will continue to rely on Gerson in midfield, despite the return of Lucas Paquetá who was suspended for yellow cards.
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“Last year we were doing well, but there were times when things changed,” commented Venezuela coach Fernando ‘Bocha’ Batista of Argentina, referring to his team’s recent unfavorable results.
In an interview with DirecTV, Batista added that Brazil’s visit to Venezuela “is a match to make a statement and show what we are capable of.”
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Venezuela are on a six-game winless streak in World Cup qualifying, although they performed well in the Copa América, finishing the group stage with three wins and reaching the quarter-finals.
Batista will serve a suspension for this match.
His deputy Leandro Cufré is expected to take his place on the bench.
Jefferson Savarino is one of Vinotinto’s key offensive assets, especially as Yeferson Soteldo will be out due to accumulated yellow cards.
Savarino will face Igor Jesus and Luiz Henrique, his teammates at Botafogo, who currently lead the Brasileirao and are Copa Libertadores finalists. This team will fight for the trophy on November 30 against Atlético Mineiro in the final in Buenos Aires.
“We know they have important players playing in Brazilian football,” Estevao, a 17-year-old talent from Palmeiras, said in a video released by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).
The match is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. Guatemala time), officiated by Colombian referee Andrés Rojas.
Formation du Venezuela : Rafael Romo – Jon Aramburu, Rubén Ramírez, Nahuel Ferraresi, Miguel Navarro – Yangel Herrera, José Martínez, Cristian Cásseres Jr – Eduard Bello, Salomón Rondón, Jefferson Savarino. Entraîneur: Leandro Cufré.
Training of Brazil: Ederson – Vanderson, Marquinhos, Gabriel Magalhaes, Abner – Bruno Guimaraes, Gerson – Savinho, Raphinha, Vinícius Jr – Igor Jesus. Entraîneur: Dorival Júnior.
