Brazil and India face off for the first time ever this Saturday | OneFootball

Gabriel Bontempo, Rayan, Douglas Luiz and Marquinhos focused during training with the national team in KolkataCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

Brazil’s senior national team will face India for the first time in history this Saturday (3) in a friendly at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium in Kolkata, at 11 a.m. Brasília time (7:30 p.m. local time). Full of expectation, the match symbolizes a historic moment for both nations.

India will be the 92nd different country Brazil has faced. The clash will close out the FIFA international window for the Seleção, which has already played two matches against Australia: a 1-1 draw in Townsville and a 4-2 win in Brisbane.

In addition, the friendly will be head coach Carlo Ancelotti’s 20th match in charge of the national team. Since taking over the Seleção in May last year, he has recorded 11 wins, four draws and four losses, with 41 goals scored and 18 conceded.

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At a press conference, the coach was evasive about the lineup, confirming only goalkeeper Pedro Morisco as a starter, and said he wants the players to stay calm for another “test” with the Seleção, not an “exam.”

"The truth is that they are tests. (...) I told all the young players who are going to play or who played in the first match that for them it is not an exam, it is an opportunity to show the quality they can have. So they should take all of this very calmly because it is not an exam for them," he explained.

Passion for the Seleção

Passionate about the Seleção, the Indian people are promising a great celebration for the team’s presence in the country.

On @brasil, the largest national team account in the world on Instagram with 26.3 million followers, India is the second-largest digital community on the profile: 5.2% of followers are users from India, a share that represents 1.37 million profiles.

Brazil vs. India will be head coach Carlo Ancelotti’s 20th match in charge of the national teamCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

Match venue

Also known as Salt Lake, Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium was inaugurated on January 25, 1984, and has a capacity of 85,000. In 2017, it was one of the venues for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, hosting group-stage and knockout matches.

Brazil played there three times in that tournament. On October 22, 2017, it beat Germany 2-1 in come-from-behind fashion in the quarterfinals, with goals from Paulinho and Weverson. In the semifinal, three days later, it was beaten 3-1 by England. Wesley scored Brazil’s only goal. And it won the third-place playoff with a 2-0 victory over Mali on October 28, with goals from Alan and Yuri Alberto.

Pedro Morisco was confirmed by Carlo Ancelotti as the starter for the friendly between Brazil and IndiaCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

Officiating for Brazil vs. India

The officiating crew for the match between Brazil and India will be from Uzbekistan and is made up of the following officials: Ilgiz Tantashev (referee), Andrey Tsapenko and Timur Gaynullin (assistant referees), and Rustam Lutfullin (fourth official).

Broadcast

The friendly will be broadcast live on TV Globo, sportv, ge tv and Globoplay.

Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium (known as Salt Lake) during the 2017 U-17 World Cup; the stadium will host the first friendly in history between Brazil and IndiaCredits: Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.