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Come Fan with UsMonday, June 22, 2026

Brazil vs. England: Lineups

Now that the Maracana has been deemed safe enough to play football matches in, England vs. Brazil can go ahead. There's been quite a lot of brutally honest chat from the Brazilians regarding the Three Lions' chances (or lack thereof) in next year's World Cup, and they'll look very silly if they get beaten on home turf by Roy Hodgson's side now.

The hosts are playing a very strong side, with their defence anchored by Thiago Silva and David Luiz. New Barcelona signing Neymar is the focal point up front, and he'll be playing next to Chelsea's Oscar -- the two have always been an exceptionally dangerous combination in international games, and you can expect that they'll cause the visitors' defence serious issues.

England, meanwhile, are putting out a starting eleven that could end up in any one of three formations. They have the personnel to play a standard 4-2-3-1, a more defensive 4-5-1 or even a 4-4-2 diamond. James Milner and Theo Walcott might not be world class players, but at least they're versatile.

Brazil starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Julio Cesar; Felipe Luis, David Luiz, Thiago Silva, Dani Alves; Luiz Gustavo, Paulinho; Neymar, Oscar, Hulk; Fred.

England starting lineup (4-2-3-1, maybe): Joe Hart; Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, Glen Johnson; Michael Carrick, Phil Jones; James Milner, Frank Lampard, Theo Walcott; Wayne Rooney.

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