Sports Mole previews Paraguay’s clash with Brazil in South American World Cup qualifying on Wednesday, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Brazil will look to record a second consecutive win when they travel to Asuncion for the 2026 World Cup Qualification against Paraguay.
The Selecao are in fourth place with 10 points, while the hosts are four points behind in seventh place.
Game Preview
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Paraguay starts the current international season with a new coach after Daniel Garnero was sacked after a disappointing 2024 Copa America season.
La Albirroja suffered defeats against Colombia, Brazil and Costa Rica and was eliminated in the group stage for the first time since 2016.
After the victory against Paraguay at the Copa America Gustavo Alfaro gave up his position as head coach of Costa Rica to become the new head coach of La Albirroja.
Alfaro began his tenure with a goalless draw away to Uruguay on Friday, giving the team six points in total and an inter-confederation playoff spot, two points behind the automatic qualification places.
Paraguay have won just one of their seven qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup and know that beating Brazil in regular time will not be an easy task since their 2-0 home win in June 2008.
The hosts have had mixed results in their three home matches in the current qualifying cycle, drawing with Peru, winning against Bolivia and losing to Colombia.
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Brazil may have beaten Paraguay at the 2024 Copa América, but that was ultimately the country’s only win in a disappointing tournament.
The Seleção drew their other two group matches and lost to Uruguay on penalties in the quarter-finals, recording their worst Copa America performance since being eliminated in the group stage in 2016.
Dorival JuniorThe team returned to competition on Friday in the 2026 World Cup qualifying match against Ecuador. RodrigoHis first-half performance was enough to give his national team a narrow 1-0 victory and end Brazil’s four-match winless streak in qualifying.
After his first success in World Cup qualifying, Dorival has now recorded four wins and five draws since taking office at the beginning of this year.
Brazil will fancy their chance of securing their second straight victory on Tuesday after winning four of their last five meetings with Paraguay in regular time, including a dominant 4-1 victory in the group stages of the 2024 Copa America.
The Selecao can also draw confidence from the fact that they have won their last three World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay without conceding a goal, including a 2-0 away win in June 2021.
Paraguay World Cup Qualifiers – South American Form:
Paraguay Form (All Competitions):
Brazil World Cup Qualifiers – South American Form:
Brazilian Form (All Competitions):
Team News
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Paraguayan defender Gustavo Gomez is suspended for one match after receiving his second yellow card for the goalless draw in qualifying against Uruguay.
The experienced Fabian Balbuena is set to replace Gomez and play alongside Getafe defender Omar Alderete in central defence.
midfield Mathias Villasanti is pushing for a place in the starting lineup after coming off the bench and playing for over half an hour in Friday’s game.
The guests cannot rely on Real Madrid’s central defender. Eder Militaowho sustained an injury prior to the win against Ecuador.
Borussia Dortmund’s Yan CoutoManchester City’s Savinho and Flamengo Peter all had to withdraw from the squad due to injury problems.
Dorival might be tempted to field the same team that played against Ecuador. Luis Henrique make a second start in a row.
The Botafogo striker will play alongside Real Madrid duo Rodrygo and Vinicius Juniorbut her clubmate Endrick may have to settle for a place on the bench.
Possible starting eleven for Paraguay:
Fernandez; Velazquez, Balbuena, Alderete, Alonso; Gomez, Villasanti, Bobadilla; Almiron, Enciso, Pitta
Possible starting eleven for Brazil:
Alisson; Danilo, Marquinhos, Gabriel, Arana; Andre, Guimaraes, Paqueta; Henrique, Vinicius, Rodrygo
We think: Paraguay 0-2 Brazil
Brazil have suffered a series of draws in Dorival’s short time at the helm, but we don’t expect that to be a problem in Tuesday’s match as we expect the visitors to show their special quality to take all three points.
Click here to see a data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this match.
