Four player battles to watch out for in India vs Brazil
The Blue Tigers take on the Selecao on October 3 in Kolkata.
India are gearing up to play one of their most anticipated games in their recent history. Khalid Jamil’s side will take to the field on Saturday to play the mighty Brazil national team at the VYBK Stadium in Kolkata.
India are coming into this game after a confidence-boosting 1-1 draw against Panama, a nation that played in the FIFA World Cup 2026. The Blue Tigers held their own in Bengaluru and even went into the half-time break with a lead courtesy of a goal from Ryan Williams.
Brazil on the other hand, drew 1-1 with Australia in their first friendly match before beating the Socceroos 4-2 in the second friendly. Carlo Ancelotti is looking to identify new stars ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2030 and hence the five-time World Champions will take the game against India pretty seriously as the players will be looking to prove their worth to their manager.
The India vs Brazil football match will certainly attract a lot of viewership from across the nation and here are four key battles that will decide the encounter on the pitch:
Abhishek Singh vs Vinicius Junior
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Starting off with arguably the most interesting battle that we can expect on the field this Saturday. Abhishek Singh Tekcham has emerged as one of the finest right-backs in India over the years. The 21-year-old played all 13 games in his debut season for Mohun Bagan and made over 75 defensive contributions.
Abhishek’s performance in the game against Panama was also top notch; however, he will be facing Vinicius Junior, who is arguably the world’s best left winger on Saturday. The Real Madrid star was the top scorer for his nation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with 4 goals.
Aside from being a major goal threat, Vinicius brings with him agility and deadly pace to threaten the Indian backline.
Facing Vinicius might be a huge challenge for Abhishek, but if the right-back has a good game, it could push his career to the next level.
Anwar Ali vs Endrick
Anwar Ali has become a kingpin in the Indian defence owing to his consistency in recent years. The 26-year-old centre-back has made 36 appearances in the Indian kit and played a major part in East Bengal’s Indian Super League 2025-26 winning campaign with significant goals and clean sheets.
On the other hand, Brazil’s young striker Endrick is starving for game time at Real Madrid. The 20-year-old had a positive loan move at Olympique Lyon last season, scoring 8 goals and providing 8 assists and he will be hoping to make the most of his gametime to impress Carlo Ancelotti and secure a place in Brazil’s playing XI for the upcoming games.
With Raphinha not available against India, Endrick will be tasked to get the goals for the Brazil national team at the VYBK Stadium in Kolkata.
Also Read: Three Indian players to watch out for against Brazil
Apuia vs Bruno Guimaraes
Apuia has been the pick of the Indian midfielders over the last few years. The 25-year-old is not renowned for goals, but rather for keeping position and maintaining the tempo of the game. Against Brazil, Apuia will be going up against Bruno Guimaraes, who does the exact same thing for the Selecao.
Bruno Guimaraes is coming into the game fresh off a goal in the 4-2 win against Australia. The midfielder has been consistent for Newcastle United over the past few seasons and this earned him a move to Arsenal over the summer.
Both the players will be going up against each other throughout the game and this will give Apuia the yardstick to measure himself against one of the best midfielders in the current generation.
Ryan Williams vs Marquinhos
Ryan Williams has had a good start to life with the Indian national team. The Bengaluru FC player has scored 2 goals in 3 games for the Blue Tigers, including the strike to earn India a 1-1 draw against Panama.
While Ryan is hungry for goals, he will be going up against back-to-back UEFA Champions League winner – Marquinhos. The Brazil captain is one of the calmest heads in defence and he has played and kept clean sheets against some of the best players in the world
Chances will be few and far in between for the Blue Tigers against the Brazilian national team. Hence this particular match-up could define the game and be the difference between India scoring or not against the Selecao.
When will India play Brazil?
India will play Brazil on October 3 at the VYBK Stadium in Kolkata.
Will Raphinha play against India?
No, Raphinha will not feature for Brazil against India as he had muscle pain and had to leave the pitch against Australia at the start of the second half in the second friendly.
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