This clash between England and Brazil at Wembley is one of the standout fixtures of this international break - even with the context of the encounter just being a friendly. Many England fans are hoping to see some of the high-profile squad debutants make their first appearances for the Three Lions, with manager Gareth Southgate rewarding the likes of Anthony Gordon, Jarrad Branthwaite, Ezri Konsa and Kobbie Mainoo with their first senior call-ups.
While Southgate will see this contest, plus next week’s game against Belgium, as a chance to experiment with his squad ahead of Euro 2024, he will want to piece together some strong performances with wins. Because although England are unbeaten since the 2022 World Cup (W8, D2), an unremarkable 2-0 win over Malta was followed by an unflattering 1-1 draw against North Macedonia in November, leaving fans underwhelmed and demanding more.
Getting the England faithful back on side here won’t necessarily be an easy task, especially taking into consideration the hold Brazil have had over their hosts across the last three decades. They’ve suffered defeat in just one of the last 11 international meetings between the two (W4, D6) although this time around, the Seleção are travelling without key stars like Neymar and Casemiro.
Enhancing that problem is Brazil’s poor recent run of form, with three recent successive World Cup Qualifying losses leaving them eight points behind leaders Argentina and in the last spot that guarantees a place at the 2026 finals! They might welcome the relief in pressure that comes with a friendly contest, and nine away wins in ten such away games (L1) since their last visit to Wembley in November 2017 (0-0) highlights why this could be a good opportunity for them to get back on track.
Players to watch: Marcus Rashford comes into the game in fine club form for Manchester United, with goals in each of his last three matches - he’s also scored in two of his last four Wembley appearances for England. Brazil striker Richarlison has already got the better of England No.1 Jordan Pickford three times in Premier League action this season.
Hot stat: England have conceded just one first-half goal across their last six Wembley matches. #livefootball #livescores #livefootballmatchtoday #footballmatch #footballlive #footballtoday #ENGLAND #BRAZIL
