Brazilian national team coach Carlo Ancelotti chose not to reveal the lineup of the team that will face Japan this Monday (29), in the first knockout game (round of 32) of Amarelinha in the World Cup. In a press conference on Sunday night (28), the day before the clash, the coach assured that the team is prepared for the knockout match against the Asians at 2pm (Brasília time and noon local time) at the air-conditioned NRG Stadium, in Houston, in the state of Texas (United States).
“For tomorrow’s game [segunda-feira] we need many things: mind, heart, clear idea. We have to be prepared for everything that can happen in a qualifier, and in a qualifier many things can happen. The team is prepared, motivated, has confidence and has done well in the last two games. The team is prepared for everything that could happen”, assured Ancelotti.
Despite being mysterious about the lineup, Ancelotti signaled that he can list some players who played in the victory against Scotland (3-0), last Wednesday (24), in the last duel of the group stage.
“Mobility is like this. The position of [Matheus Cunha] in the last game it gave us an advantage because it’s not such a well-defined position on the field. It is very important to change positions so as not to give too much reference to the rival team. The three [Bruno, Paquetá e Cunha] They played a very good game in the last two games in this regard”, praised the coach.
In a good mood, Ancelotti said why he prefers to announce the starters shortly before the start of the match.
“I don’t want to give you the lineup. I don’t want you to be calm. I’ll think about the perfect lineup for tomorrow [segunda-feira]. If I give the lineup now, you will rest assured. I have to think about you too”, joked Ancelotti, addressing the journalists.
When asked about the fact that some players were unable to sleep the day before the game, without knowing whether or not they would be selected as starters, the coach responded again in a relaxed manner.
“I was going to sleep. Do you think the player doesn’t sleep well? Usually, the player who is going to play knows. The player who isn’t going to play, doesn’t know. It’s an individual conversation. But the player sleeps very well. Better than a coach”, said the coach.
The possibility of striker Neymar taking the field this Monday (29) also came to light during the press conference. After almost a month recovering from a muscle injury, the number 10 finally debuted against Scotland, last Wednesday (24), in the final 15 minutes of the match.
“Neymar is evolving very well, he is progressing. I believe that in the last week he has improved a lot, it’s a shame that he couldn’t train the entire time he was with us. He can play 15 minutes, obviously he’s doing quite well. It depends on the context of tomorrow’s game and the evolution of the match”, he concluded.
The expectation is that Ancelotti will repeat, for the first time since taking over the national team just over a year ago, the same line-up from Brazil’s last match against Scotland. Therefore, the team should start playing this Monday (29) with Alisson; Danilo, Marquinhos, Gabriel Magalhães and Douglas Santos; Casemiro, Bruno Guimarães, Lucas Paquetá; Rayan, Matheus Cunha and Vinicius Júnior.
