Ancelotti: Seleção comes first, wants to assess Vitor Roque | OneFootball

The coach Carlo Ancelotti opened the call-up for the Brazilian National Team by congratulating Palmeiras and Flamengo for securing spots in the final of the Libertadores, as well as coaches Abel Ferreira and Filipe Luís. Among the 26 players, Ancelotti called up three finalists: Alex Sandro and Danilo from Flamengo, and Vitor Roque from Palmeiras. The latter is a new addition to the list and will be evaluated by the coach.

In his penultimate call-up before the World Cup, the Italian emphasized that the priority is the National Team by “ignoring” the finalists' schedule, who play the Libertadores final about ten days after the FIFA date. Palmeiras and Flamengo will also be missing players for at least one game of the Brazilian Championship, a tournament in which both are competing for the title.

“Yes [there was a conversation]. We know the schedule, but I believe that the priority is the Brazilian National Team. So we called up players that I believe can help the Brazilian National Team for these two games, both from Flamengo and Vitor Roque from Palmeiras,” he explained.

“This call-up includes players like Fabinho, Juba, Vitor Roque, who is doing very well in the Brasileirão, and I want to evaluate. We have seven players from the Brasileirão, the CBF considers what is being done here and the good level of the championship. Against Senegal, we will have a more defined team, with fewer tests,” he explained.

Ancelotti hopes to have a more defined team

The coach of the Brazilian National Team has maintained a base in his call-ups. Ancelotti has the opportunity to conduct some tests in preparation for the World Cup, but he already expects to have a more defined team after the last friendlies of the year.

“I believe that in the last games we changed the team a lot to conduct tests. In this sense, it is positive, these are tests we have to do. The tests were good, I have more knowledge of the players. We will make these changes. I think I will have a more defined team in the two games,” he said.

Experience and versatility justify the call-up of the duo

Alex Sandro and Danilo are two more experienced players in the National Team. Ancelotti highlighted the leadership profile of the Flamengo duo to justify the call-up.

“Alex Sandro showed in the first games that he is a very experienced full-back, has knowledge of the position, personality. When he is at a good physical level, he is one of the best full-backs we have in the National Team. Danilo is different, the idea is that he is the only defender who can cover all positions. He can be a right-back, left-back, or center-back. I like his experience and leadership,” he justified.

The next games of the National Team

Brazil vs Senegal Date and time: November 15, 2025 (Saturday), at 1 PM (Brasília time) Location: Emirates Stadium, in London (ENG), at 1 PM (Brasília time)

Brazil vs Tunisia Date and time: November 18 (Tuesday), at 4:30 PM (Brasília time) Location: Decathlon Stadium, in Lille (FRA).

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