Who could be the surprise in Brazil's squad call-up 🤔

Battle for the 3rd goalkeeper spot Al-Nassr goalkeeper Bento, who has never been a unanimous favorite among fans, has seen a recent dip in form, putting his place at risk, including a howler in the last round of the Saudi league that delayed Cristiano Ronaldo’s club from winning the title. The third goalkeeper spot, then, could bring a surprise, with Corinthians’ Hugo Souza and Nottingham Forest’s John in the running. National team goalkeeping coach Taffarel, a four-time world champion, however, chose to play it down when asked whether that moment could weigh on the choice of this year’s World Cup call-ups.

"If a (mistake) weighed that much, I don’t think I ever would have gone to a World Cup. He’s been having a good season there, with consistency, and we’re keeping track of him," he said in an interview with ESPN. Defense in focus Éder Militão’s injury forced the coaching staff to look for alternatives in defense.

Although he was not called up by Carletto, Thiago Silva, recently crowned Liga Portugal champion with FC Porto, has emerged as a possibility because of his experience and high-level play. Another name that could appear is Alexsandro Ribeiro. The center-back has already been called up by Ancelotti and is highly rated by the coaching staff.

Question mark in midfield Called up near the end of the World Cup cycle, Danilo gained a lot of points with the coaching staff and cannot really be considered a "surprise" if he makes the final list. But Lucas Paquetá, who has had a very turbulent World Cup cycle, is an outside contender for one of the 26 spots. Although he has posted modest numbers in the 25/26 season, Paquetá has a versatile profile that the coaching staff likes a lot.