Brazil host Chile in a clash with little purpose, as Selecao already qualified for the World Cup, while Chile confirmed their exit with their 10th loss of the qualifiers against Bolivia.
While Brazil have a guaranteed spot in the WC, their overall performance in the qualifications was below standard. Argentina are on a whole different plane, sitting 10 points above Selecao, which further proves that the Golden Days of the five-time World Champions are far gone.
Carlo Ancelotti's era began with a 0-0 draw in Ecuador, followed by a narrow 1-0 win over Paraguay at home. There was a clear improvement in defence in those games, but Brazil looked slightly clueless in the final third. These upcoming games give Ancelotti a much-needed opportunity to test more players and tactics, and we expect to see major rotations.
Chile's only goal right now is not to finish last in the qualifiers, but the fact remains that they will miss the World Cup for the third time in a row. Ricardo Gareca managed to lose 10 games out of 16 before stepping down, so Chile will have Nicolas Cordova as interim manager for the final games. And he clearly plans to switch things a bit, having removed a whopping 13 players from the squad in June.
How the bookies view it: Completely one-sided
Bookmakers have a clear favourite, and it is not surprising. You can back the hosts at 1/5, while Chile are available at 12/1. Alternatively, the draw has been priced at 5/1.
Recent head to head: Brazil – 5, Chile – 0
This rivalry has been all about Brazil in the past decade, as Chile's last triumph dates back to October 2015. Since then, Selecao have won five in a row, with a worrying goal difference of 11:1. The last meeting between them was in October 2024, when Brazil won 2-1 away.
Players to watch: Joao Pedro's time has come
Quite a few of Brazil's star players have been left out, including Vinicius Jr., Eder Militao, and Rodrygo, while Matheus Cunha will not take part due to his recent injury. This means we will see an entirely new line-up and we expect to see Joao Pedro shine and score his first goal for the Selecao. The 23-year-old began life at Chelsea with four goal contributions in three Premier League rounds, so he will be our top pick for this fixture.
Probable line-ups
Brazil: Alisson, Henrique, Gabriel, Marquinhos, Casemiro, Guimaraes, Raphinha, Estevao, Pedro, Richarlison
Chile: Gillier, Suazo, Kuscevic, Maripan, Hormazabal, Loyola, Echeverria, Osorio, Tapia, Diaz, Aravena
Anything else catch the eye?
Even with all the changes, there is too much quality in this Brazil team for Chile to handle. Ancelotti knows how to build the perfect defence, and Chile have only scored one goal in eight away games in the qualifiers, while conceding 17.
We expect a one-sided affair, although we don't expect to see an extreme scoreline, maybe a 3-0. Cordova will try to minimize the damage, and Chile will be defending for 90 minutes. With this said, we should see Brazil with a clean sheet.
GambleAware