Brazil arrives at the Pre-Olympic Tournament that startes in Venezuela as a solid team, thanks to maintaining a base of footballers who know each other well and the addition of star reinforcements. This combination makes them not only favorites to secure one of the two available spots for the upcoming Olympic Games, but also to lift the trophy of this tournament for the eighth time.
Coach Ramon Menezes has already worked with several of the under-23 players, with whom he won the South American U-20 Championship in Colombia and the gold at the Pan American Games in Chile 2023. At a time when national teams often do not have time to train together, this is a great advantage.
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Of the 23 players called up in Caracas, 20 have already been under Menezes’ command. This solid base includes players who were part of the Pan American championship-winning team in early November, such as goalkeeper Mycael, defenders Arthur Chaves, Michel, and Patryck; midfielder Gabriel Pirani, and forwards Guilherme Biro and Marquinhos.
Part of a team that has been playing together and lifted the title of the U-20 South American Championship in February, with names like Andrey Santos, Marlon Gomes, and Alexsander, who won the last Copa Libertadores with Fluminense.
To this already established base, two rising stars are added who had not been included before due to their clubs’ refusal to release them. One of them is Endrick, the champion of the last Brasileirao with Palmeiras, who will join Real Madrid halfway through the year. The other is John Kennedy, the hero of Flu in the Libertadores by scoring the title-winning goal against Boca Juniors.
Brazil aims for a third consecutive gold
In the first phase of the competition, Brazil is in Group A with Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, and Ecuador. The team debuts on the 23rd against Bolivia. They will then face Colombia on the 26th. The third opponent will be Ecuador on the 29th. They end the group stage by playing against the hosts on February 1st. All matches in this phase will be held in Caracas at the Brígido Iriarte Stadium.
The Seleção will first try to secure one of the two spots available for the upcoming Paris Olympic Games. If successful, they will aim for their third consecutive gold, following their victories in Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
