India vs Brazil – News and Probable Lineups

Brazil is set to visit Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium for the first time in history for an international friendly against India on Saturday.

Carlo Ancelotti’s squad approaches this fixture following a succession of victories over Australia, while India comes into the match after drawing with Panama in their latest encounter.

Match overview

India head coach Khalid Jamil has struggled to secure wins since taking charge last summer, achieving only two victories in 13 matches, alongside five draws and five losses.

Out of his 13 matches, four were part of India’s unsuccessful Asia Cup qualifying campaign (W1, D1, L2), resulting in the Blue Tigers likely missing the tournament for the first time since 2015.

India has at least managed to maintain an unbeaten run over their last two games, including a 1-1 stalemate against Tajikistan in June.

Jamil’s team recently faced Panama again, finishing Friday’s friendly with another 1-1 result in Bangalore, where Ryan Williams’ first-half opener was equalized by Omar Valencia in the 68th minute.

India is now gearing up for two significant friendly matches against South American teams: Saturday’s contest with five-time world champions Brazil and Tuesday’s matchup with two-time World Cup winners Uruguay.

Currently positioned at 138th in the FIFA World Rankings, India understands that they face a significant challenge in attempting to achieve three consecutive matches without a defeat against the fifth-ranked team in the world.

Brazil’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti is already eyeing the 2028 Copa America after his team experienced a disappointing exit in the last-16 of the 2026 World Cup.

The Selecao navigated through a challenging Round of 32 matchup against Japan but ultimately fell to Norway with a 2-1 defeat, marking what was Neymar’s farewell in international play.

After a two-month reflection period on their poorest World Cup showing since 1990, Brazil resumed play with consecutive friendlies against Australia, starting with a thrilling 1-1 draw, capped by Rayan’s last-minute equalizer.

Brazil showcased a robust performance in their recent encounter in Brisbane, bouncing back from a 2-1 deficit to secure a 4-2 win, with contributions from Vanderson, Raphinha, Bruno Guimaraes, and Vinicius Junior.

Ancelotti has recorded 11 victories out of 19 matches since taking on his managerial role at the international level in the summer of 2025 (D4, L4).

Brazil has come out on top in seven of their last 10 matches, consistently scoring three goals or more in five of those games, making them strong favorites to achieve a substantial victory in their inaugural clash with India.

Team News

India’s captain Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is anticipated to be in goal for what is expected to be a demanding night.

The shot-stopper will look for support from a defense that may include Abhishek Singh, Bijoy Varghese, Anwar Ali, and Akash Mishra.

In the meantime, Williams could emerge as one of India’s key attacking players, having netted twice in just three matches for the Blue Tigers.

On the side of Brazil, they will be without Roma’s Wesley and Chelsea’s Joao Pedro, as both have pulled out of the preliminary squad due to injuries.

Barcelona’s Raphinha has also departed the squad after being replaced at halftime in Tuesday’s victory due to a thigh problem.

Ancelotti is expected to refresh his lineup with several changes, with Vitor Reis, Martinelli, Andrey Santos, Estevao, and Endrick among those likely to feature in Kolkata.

India probable starting XI:

Singh Sandhu; A Singh, Varghese, Ali, Mishra; Apuia, Thapa; Partap Singh, Williams, Kuruniyan; M Singh

Brazil probable starting XI:

Souza; Matheuzinho, Reis, Gabriel, D Santos; To Santos, Martinelli, Bidon; Estevao, Vinicius, Endrick

Even with Ancelotti’s potential lineup alterations for Saturday’s match, Brazil’s starting XI will still feature an impressive array of talent that should prove too formidable for a team ranked 133 positions lower in the global rankings.